Sakura's Christmas Surprise
by Lord Archive
Summary: Sakura wasn't expecting much for Christmas, but one tiny envelope contained her most special wish. minor edit 12-21-08
1. Sakura's Special Present

**Sakura's Christmas Surprise**

_Chapter 1: Sakura's Special Present_

By Lord Archive

Characters are property of Clamp and are used without consent.

* * *

Sakura fidgeted in her seat, though she was hardly the only one. It was Christmas Eve and she just wanted the school day to end! Especially considering it was the last day before winter break. She felt sorry for the public school kids that still had class tomorrow. How evil was THAT?!

Sakura then frowned at her report card. Math had been fun with Mizuki-sensei, but her grade in that class had slipped a bit since she started junior high. Otherwise she was doing relatively average. Now being in seventh grade, concerns for the future were increased. If her grades stayed at that level, she'd never get into a good college, assuming she didn't become a housewife instead.

The last bell finally rang, and the teacher ended class as properly as he could with all the excited teens waiting to bolt. Sakura hardly paid attention, following along by school enforced habit.

"Thinking of Li-kun again?" Tomoyo questioned, gathering her things.

"Hoeh?!" Sakura emitted.

"You had that dreamy look in your eyes again," Tomoyo noted.

Sakura pouted. "Maybe a little..." 'Li Sakura' had such a nice ring to it. She then sighed. "It's been too long since I last saw him. And he doesn't think he'll be able to come here during the break."

"That is a shame," Tomoyo replied with more neutrality than sympathy.

"Though I can't wait for Naoko-chan's party tonight," Sakura cheered, but then frowned. "Too bad you're taking that trip and can't make it." The short, auburn haired girl then led her friend out of the classroom.

Tomoyo nodded curtly.

Sakura wondered why her friend seemed so distracted. She then brightened. "Tomoyo-chan, I brought your present with me. I can give it to you now." She then riffled through her school bag and pulled it out.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo smiled sweetly, accepting the gift graciously. "I'll give you your present at the school gate," she informed, carefully opening the present in order to not rip the paper.

Sakura was more interested in her best friend's reaction to the gift she just gave, than what she would be receiving. She grinned at the stunned expression on Tomoyo's face. "Nice special effects, right?"

Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh. The picture frame of her gift was decorated with stars and moons, but the picture itself was something Sakura had made her do and certainly wasn't the result of any special effects. There she was, black hair streaming through the air while wearing one of her own fanciful dresses, and she was soaring like an angel thanks to her best friend using the Fly card on her. It would seem that full revenge for all those costumes had been done. "I love it, Sakura-chan."

"You're welcome!" Sakura chirped, her emerald eyes sparkling with smiles.

Studiously Tomoyo looked over the picture, more to distract herself than to truly examine it. She was quite relieved to hear her wonderfully cute friend emit the sweetest little squeak of surprise. There at the gate was both Sakura's bother and father waiting for her.

"Dad? Big brother? What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned.

"Actually it has to do with my present for you," Tomoyo announced. She smiled at the beautifully confused look she received. She pulled out an envelope and held it out. "This is for you."

"Wheeee?" Sakura took it. What she found inside left her blinking dumbly. "A plane ticket?"

Tomoyo nodded.

Sakura stared at the destination. "To Hong Kong?!" Her best friend just nodded. She couldn't believe it, but she couldn't just up and leave, could she? She turned to look at her father and brother. "Can I go?"

Fujitaka merely smiled at his daughter. "Yes, dear. Tomoyo-chan has managed all the details. But we had best hurry, the flight leaves in three hours."

Touya gave no reply.

Sakura let out a little screech knowing she didn't have a whole lot of time to pack. She bolted for her family's car, paused as she opened the door, and then lunged at Tomoyo, engulfing the girl in a hug. "THANK YOU!"

Tomoyo quickly returned the hug, patting the excited girl on the back. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan. But you have to hurry."

"Right!" Sakura leapt away. "I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Tomoyo nodded. "I'll be going with you to the airport. I need to take care of a few things."

"Then let's go!" Sakura dragged Tomoyo to the car.

Fujitaka smiled as he got into the car, while Touya growled. As Sakura's family and Tomoyo sped off, three girls were left watching the whole encounter.

"She completely forgot about my party." Naoko pouted.

"Can you blame her?" Rika questioned.

Naoko smirked slightly. "If _I_ was given a chance to go to Hong Kong, boyfriend waiting for me or no, I'd forget about my party too."

"Well, at least Tomoyo-chan can come to the party, but she'll be a bit late," Chiharu commented, knowing the girl had lied about going on a trip to cover setting up Sakura's present.

* * *

Kero-chan had to fly through the air, dodging projectiles as Typhoon Sakura ripped through the room. The door was nearly wrenched off the wall, a suitcase flew onto the bed, and clothes were haphazardly tossed into it.

Tomoyo was the eye of the storm as she entered the room, her quiet tranquil presence undisturbed by the fierce action of the emerald-eyed girl. She merely sat down on the bed and started to arrange the items in the suitcase.

"What's going on?" Kero-chan demanded.

"Sakura-chan is going on a little trip," Tomoyo informed. "You can stay at my place until she gets back since the house will be empty."

Sakura paused her whirlwind of activity. "Empty?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Your father is going to a dig in Egypt. His flight leaves shortly after yours."

"That's great!" Sakura cheered, knowing how her father loved working in the field. There was no need mention her brother as he had moved in with Yukito.

"Where are you going, Sakura?" Kero-chan questioned.

"No need to concern yourself, Kero-chan," Tomoyo replied before Sakura could. "You know, I think I bought too many snacks for Naoko-chan's party. One tray of cupcakes would be more than enough, but I got a few cakes and puddings as well."

Sakura wondered for a second why Tomoyo didn't answer Kero-chan directly, but the answer was quite simple: her guardian would want to go to Hong Kong with her. Frankly, she'd rather not deal with him while trying to spend time with Syaoran.

"Why don't you go on ahead to my house, Kero-chan," Tomoyo suggested sweetly. "I left my window open a crack and there's an extra cake on my desk."

Kero-chan began to float on sugary-sweet dreams of delicious deserts. He then bolted straight for the window.

Sakura quickly opened her window to let him out least he flew straight through it. As soon as he was out of sight, she closed it. "Thanks for taking care of Kero-chan."

"He'll probably have more fun with me anyway," Tomoyo replied. "There is something you should know. Only Meiling-chan, Wei-san, and Li-kun's mother knows you're coming. Your visit is as much his present as it is yours."

Sakura smiled. "I'll be sure to make it the best Christmas he's ever had!"

"I'm sure you will." Tomoyo nodded. "There is another thing. I didn't mail your present for Syaoran. I thought you'd rather hand it to him in person." She then reached for a small package in her school bag, and placed it into the suitcase.

"Thank you!" Sakura cried out. "You've really thought this all out."

Tomoyo nodded. "Of course. I had to make sure it was perfect for you."

Sakura hugged her best friend since forever. "You are really too good for me."

Tomoyo merely smiled knowingly. "You deserve everything I can give you."

* * *

Sakura pouted at the airport sign. Her flight was delayed. She couldn't wait to get to Hong Kong!

Fujitaka frowned as his flight was announced for boarding. "That's me. Sorry I won't be able to see you off."

"It's okay, Daddy. I'll try to keep in touch," Sakura promised.

Fujitaka nodded with a joking smile. "Do try, though the middle of a desert doesn't do well for phones. Goodbye, everyone. See you in two weeks."

Sakura gave him a quick hug. "Goodbye, Daddy."

Touya gave a rare smile. "Good luck, Dad. See you soon."

"Goodbye," Tomoyo added.

Fujitaka waved as he walked off, quickly disappearing into the crowds.

"Now, Sakura," Touya almost growled when their dad was out of sight. "Mind yourself while you're with that brat."

"He's not a brat!" Sakura protested.

Touya bent down a little to look at her in the face. "Listen, Sakura, you're only thirteen. Don't rush into anything, and if you start doing something that feels uncomfortable then STOP! I may not like the kid much, but I'm not the one who gets to choose. Just... Sakura, please be careful."

Sakura wasn't entirely sure what he was warning her against, but promised anyway. "I'll be careful. You don't have to worry."

Touya gave her a sad smile, her words offering no comfort to him. He doubted anything would happen THIS trip, but he had the nagging feeling that sooner rather than later something would happen.

Sakura started blinking and then looked around frantically. She then bolted into a crowd of people.

"Sakura!" Touya cried out, but then moaned.

Tomoyo merely giggled as Sakura found what, or rather who, she was looking for.

"Meiling-chan!" Sakura cried out, latching her hands around a girl's arm.

"How did you know I was here?!" Meiling screeched out.

"You feel like Syaoran-kun, but with more... jasmine to it...," Sakura informed, uncertain with her own words. "Why are you here?"

"Because I don't want to be a third wheel," Meiling protested. "You'll have enough problems getting time alone with Syaoran with his sisters around."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Touya groused.

Sakura started to panic and patted her body. "Meiling-chan's present!"

Tomoyo shook her head while giggling. "I didn't give it back to you yet." She pulled the wrapped present out and handed it to her friend.

Sakura quickly gave it to Meiling.

Meiling smirked. "You still have that dumb look on your face." Her hand took a position not unlike a claw as she slashed the wrapping paper off with her nails. She smiled at was she saw, a stars and moon picture frame with a group picture that included Sakura, Tomoyo, Yue, Cerberus in his true form, Syaoran and herself. A picture she wished that had truly been taken as a group, and not pieced together from Tomoyo's photos.

Tomoyo pulled out the photo Sakura had given her. "Sakura-chan had fun getting me to do this one. I must say flying is fun!"

The airport intercom announced the boarding for the flight to Hong Kong.

"Finally!" Sakura chirped. "I'll see you all soon. Goodbye!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Meiling commented sheepishly. A guy wanted to have 'fun' with her in the plane's washroom and she kind of dented the door with his face. "Be sure to wish Syaoran a great Christmas!"

"Have fun Sakura-chan," Tomoyo wished.

"Not too much fun," Touya muttered. "Don't blow up Hong Kong, monster."

"I'm not a monster and I couldn't blow up a city if I tried," Sakura huffed.

With one last round of goodbyes, Sakura ran off for her flight.

"Yes, Sakura, you could," Touya whispered.

* * *

"I was exiting the washroom and this fucking pervert tried pushing me back in, saying it was his turn to 'have some release,'" Meiling growled out.

"What happened?! Did someone stop him?!" Naoko questioned excitedly.

Meiling looked at the girl strangely. "Oh, a stewardess saw it and was going to call for help for me, but ended up needing the help for him. After I hit his crotch with a palm strike, I introduced his face to the washroom door about a dozen times. When I was pulled away from the creep, he slumped to the floor unconscious and it was impossible to shut the door."

"Wow! Meiling-chan, I wish I could protect myself like that. I would've been so screwed in that situation. Literally," Naoko commented in amazement.

Chiharu and Rika could only nod to the girl's assessment, while Tomoyo thought she'd feel sorry for the would-be attacker. If her bodyguards weren't there to stop the attack, then the retribution he would receive from her mother alone would be the stuff of nightmares. And she didn't even want to know what Sakura or Syaoran would or could do to the guy in their anger.

While Naoko missed having Sakura at her little slumber party, Meiling was certainly helping pick up what was missing. Though if her naive friend had been here, she doubted any talk of the Chinese girl's little adventure would've been given. She really didn't know how to explain it, but despite Sakura being the oldest of the girls by a couple months-- she had an innocence about her that you just didn't want to take away. It might be fun to spook her by mentioning ghosts, yet talking about sex around her just seemed to be a taboo.

"You know, I really hope my mother doesn't learn your parents aren't home, Naoko-chan," Rika mentioned.

"Unless she tries calling for them, there really shouldn't be a problem," Naoko replied. "After all, if anyone knows how to keep secrets, it's us. You especially. Now if Sakura-chan had been here, there might've been a problem."

Tomoyo and Meiling started laughing, causing the other three girls to look at them in confusion.

"Oh, Sakura-chan can be quite good at secrets," Tomoyo corrected. "There are a few secrets she has kept from you. She knows who Rika-chan's boyfriend is."

Rika blinked while blushing. "She does?! But she's so...."

"Stupidly blind?" Meiling offered. "Kinomoto does have her own means to see things." She then studied the nervous, shorthaired girl. "Who is he, Sasaki? Is he someone I know?"

Rika shook her head fiercely. "I can't say who he is. Just that he's older."

Meiling pouted. "Do you girls know?"

Naoko nodded slowly. "Yes, but I won't say who. I don't want him to go to jail."

Meiling blinked and then whistled. "He's THAT much older?! Sasaki, you devil!"

Rika's face was painted red with embarrassment, especially after the other girls started laughing. She was desperate to get the topic of conversation off herself. "Why aren't you with Li-kun? Wasn't he your fiance?"

"WAS being the operative word." Meiling sighed. "When I asked him to be my fiance, it wasn't 'marry me' but 'until you find someone you love more than me, I'll be your fiancee.' And, well, he found someone, so I'm out on the curb. All I can do now is be happy for him and Kinomoto."

"Any new romantic prospects?" Naoko questioned.

Meiling let out a small laugh. "Hardly. Syaoran is not exactly an easy act to follow. And the boys I know in Hong Kong are like how I used to be: selfish. All they want from me would be a cheap fling. While I may want my virginity to be a distant memory before I'm sixteen and my parents start getting ideas of marrying me off to some rich brat, I'm not about to whore myself off to some guy I don't care about."

"What does virginity have to do with forced engagements?" Chiharu questioned, her tone more subdued than normal.

Meiling blinked. "Don't guys want virgin brides in Japan?"

"Hardly," Naoko countered. "Sure, there's something about being the first, but most guys prefer a girl who knows what she's doing."

"Been around much?" Meiling shot back.

Naoko blushed slightly. "I almost wish. But I'm like you in that respect. I want to like the guy first. I haven't found a guy that I'm really interested in getting to know, let alone one that's truly interested in knowing me. Guess we can't all be lucky like Rika-chan and Chiharu-chan, having their boyfriends since forever."

"Naoko-chan, do you hope you'll be getting a new sibling from your parents' little vacation?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Hell no!" Naoko cried out. "If Mom were to have a baby, _I_ would be the one to raise him. If I'm going to spend my days changing diapers, the baby had better be mine."

* * *

Syaoran fidgeted nervously. He could almost feel something was up, but couldn't place his finger on it. He didn't feel any danger or anything, but his mother was paying a bit too much attention to him. He certainly loved her, but you can't help but be unnerved under the gaze of a woman whom you could never hide anything from. To her, a person's past and future were an open book to be flipped through. Which didn't help him being her only son on top of him having the most magical power of his generation. She was always gazing into his life.

"So... when is Meiling coming over?" Syaoran questioned to cover the thick air of silence.

"Your answer to that is arriving now," Yelan replied simply.

Syaoran walked to the front of the door, and started to wonder why his mother was following him and had directed his sisters to do the same. He suddenly realized something was definitely wrong when he saw Wei get out of the family limousine. His senses weren't detecting the man's aura. Not to mention Meiling would never wait for Wei to open the car door. The first thing he saw of the passenger was her lower leg, and knew that she wasn't his cousin. The shade of skin, thicker calves, and a bow on the shoe told him enough to make his heart race. She couldn't be....

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura burst from the car and tackled him with a hug that sent both of them to the ground.

"Sakura...?" Syaoran couldn't believe his eyes. The fog over his mystical senses eased and he could feel her powerful aura washing over his.

Sakura giggled. "Merry Christmas, Syaoran-kun!"

"How...?" Syaoran wanted to desperately know this wasn't a dream.

"This is a little present from Meiling and Daidouji," Yelan informed her son.

'Little?' Syaoran couldn't think of a bigger or better gift that he could've ever received.

The four sisters shared confused looks. Was this why Meiling stopped talking about being their little brother's fiancee? Was this girl really going to be allowed to stay here with Syaoran? Did Syaoran ever look that happy before?

Feimei was the youngest of the four sisters. She tended to get ignored in favor of Fuutie, the eldest child, and Syaoran, her only brother. At times it hurt being neglected when extra attention was paid to those two for important days like Christmas, but it did come with advantages. While not nearly as powerful in magic as her brother, she found she had a definite affinity with subtle spells, particularly those of concealment.

Sakura chatted away as she sat on a couch, while Syaoran seemed to be mesmerized by the girl. Though it surprised Feimei how much her little brother did talk. If she asked how his day at school went, she'd at best get a grunt or 'it was okay.' She certainly never got him to talk about how he scored a goal in a soccer game.

The whole situation still amazed Feimei. Her little brother had a girlfriend, and she didn't even have a boyfriend yet herself. She had certainly flirted, but no guy had yet noticed her charms. Sometimes she seemed to be a little TOO good at concealment.

"Was there something you wanted?" Sakura questioned.

Feimei blinked at Sakura's probing eyes. A quick check confirmed her spell was still active. How did the girl know she was here? Only her mother and great-uncle had ever seen through her spells before.  
Syaoran took a moment to look around before growling out, "Feimei...."

The young woman giggled nervously, letting her spell drop. "Sorry, couldn't help eavesdropping. Syaoran's NEVER had a friend over, let alone a girl."

Sakura turned and pouted at the boy. "You haven't been trying to make friends?"

Syaoran scratched the back of his head. "Well, there are a few guys I hang out with. They're part of the soccer team. Just with my extra studies, I don't have a lot of time to do much more."

"Make time!" Sakura retorted. "Friends are important! Before I go back to Japan, I want to meet them. We'll go to the movies or a park or something!"

Syaoran edged back. "Ah, sure... I guess."

Feimei giggled at her brother's reaction, before slipping away.

"See you later!" Sakura called out, not even looking in the young woman's direction.

Feimei quickly found her other sisters waiting for her in the hallway.

"Well, what's going on?" Fuutie questioned.

"She's definitely his girlfriend. She's got him wrapped around her finger," Feimei joked.

Shiefa smirked. "I knew something was up with lil' bro when she was here two years ago."

"How far have they gotten?" Fanren wondered.

Feimei shrugged. "Doubt more than a kiss. But I couldn't find out anything."

"Why not?" Fanren pressed. "They were 'alone.'"

"I was spotted," Feimei replied.

Fuutie blinked. "Syaoran's gotten that good?"

Feimei shook her head. "No. She spotted me. Even with her looking at me, Syaoran couldn't see me."

"I see." Fuutie nodded in thought. "She's the heir of Clow."

The other three sister squeaked in surprise.

"She beat Syaoran for the Clow Cards?" Shiefa questioned. "Then how did he fall for her if she was his rival?"

Fanren smirked. "If anyone can figure it out, Shiefa, we can."

Feimei pouted. "Why didn't mother tell us she was the heir?"

Fuutie look down at her youngest sister. "You know mother with her 'need to know' philosophy. She probably knew before Syaoran left to hunt for the cards that he'd fail, but also knew that he had to go."

Shiefa smirked. "Yeah, so he could fall for his future wife. Doesn't explain why she didn't object to Meiling's engagement."

"What better way to slow down a romance than allow a doomed one to interfere?" Fanren returned. "Besides, would Meiling have even listened to mother?"

Fuutie shook her head. "Probably not."

* * *

The party had run its course, and most of the girls had fallen asleep. Tomoyo was not surprised to find Chiharu still wide-awake and in the kitchen. "Something on your mind, Chiharu-chan?"

"Yeah," was the only reply.

"Does it have to do with your trip tomorrow?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Kind of," Chiharu muttered.

"Also your father and Yamazaki-kun?" Tomoyo added.

Chiharu pouted. "You're going to keep poking until you have the full story, won't you?"

Tomoyo nodded slowly. "You're hurting, Chiharu-chan, and I want to know why. You haven't been yourself lately."

"Has anyone told you that you're too damned observant?" Chiharu growled out in fake anger.

"Not in those words, but in sentiment," Tomoyo replied, slightly joking.

"You know my father is dying," Chiharu stated flatly.

Tomoyo nodded. "And that you've been engaged to Yamazaki-kun."

Chiharu just stared at the girl. "How do you know that?"

"Last June, when you were in the girl's bathroom, you kept saying 'Yamazaki Chiharu' and how you were never going to get used to it. I was using one of the stalls," Tomoyo informed.

Chiharu scowled. "It's not nice to eavesdrop like that."

"I didn't really have much choice at the time," Tomoyo retorted. "But you didn't seem as troubled about all of that then as you do now. Is your marriage soon?"

Chiharu shook her head. "Still some legal crap to deal with. The trip tomorrow is to help smooth some of it out. I'm going to Izumo to see Takashi's family and be formally introduced as his future bride."

"That's certainly reason to be nervous, but there's more to this," Tomoyo noted.

Chiharu nodded. "Let's just say I'm not expected to come home a virgin. When the rooms were booked, Takashi and I were given one to share alone."

Tomoyo frowned. "And what do you think about that?"

"I don't know. That's why I can't get any sleep," Chiharu's frustration dripping into her words. "I mean I love Takashi dearly, but do I love him THAT way? We've been friends longer than I can remember, but I'm afraid he's too much like a brother to me to be my lover."

Tomoyo closed her eyes. "I guess I can see your problem. But you have to remember Yamazaki-kun would never hurt you. Take things slowly. After all, they may not expect you to be virgin after your trip, but that doesn't mean you can't still be one. Just start with kissing, and if things naturally go from there, let it. If not, let it rest and try again later."

Chiharu rested her head against her hand. "You make it sound so simple."

"I wish it were that simple, but you don't have to make it more complicated than it already is," Tomoyo returned.

Chiharu roared out a yawn, and then laughed a little. "Thanks for giving me LESS to think about. Maybe now I can get some sleep. Good night."

"Good night," Tomoyo wished. She then sighed at her own troubled thoughts. She wondered how Sakura was doing in Hong Kong. She almost dreaded the idea that her beautiful friend was sleeping WITH Syaoran, that she would be the first of their friends to lose their virginity. Daidouji tried to kick away the thought, but even as she tried to cover it-- jealousy still lurked deep within her. Truthfully, Tomoyo couldn't understand Chiharu's problem with Takashi completely. Sakura had been her closest friend since forever as well, but if the opportunity had presented itself, she would make wonderful love to her.

* * *

Yelan entered the living room at a little past midnight. As she had expected, Sakura had fallen asleep on Syaoran's shoulder, then he too fell asleep. The day's excitement had finally worn the girl out. The youthful-looking mother unfolded the blanket she brought with her and covered the sleeping couple with it. She allowed herself a rare smile before kissing both of them on the forehead.

Fuutie had watched her mother and was still left to wonder at the events of the day. "She's the heir of Clow, isn't she?"

Yelan merely nodded.

"Any particularly reason you're letting her sleep with him?" Fuutie almost demanded.

"There are many answers, you know," Yelan replied cryptically.

"You want the Clow Cards back into the family," Fuutie stated flatly.

"The Clow Cards no longer exist, but have evolved into Sakura Cards," Yelan corrected. "And if all there was to her was the strength of her magic, I would endorse Meiling over her."

"Then why are you giving them parental consent?" Fuutie pressed.

"THAT I am not giving. She will return home before temptation presents itself. I do not want her to be the first to make me a grandmother, but either Shiefa or you," Yelan returned. "Sakura is here to give Syaoran something he has been missing since your father died: happiness."

Fuutie frowned. Being the eldest, she remembered the days before her father's death best. On that day, at the age of three, Syaoran promised he would train to be the next clan leader and her mother's heart had frozen. Since then both mother and son rarely let emotion speak for them, only letting cold logic dictate action. At least it seemed that someone finally managed to find the boy's lost heart. Now if only someone could do that for their mother. She then smirked; maybe a few grandkids WERE in order.

Yelan seemingly gazed through her daughter. "Are you trying to make your sisters hate you?"

Fuutie blinked, shaking free of her thoughts. "What?"

"Those bridesmaid dresses you picked, your sisters will not be pleased with them," Yelan stated evenly.

"It's a tradition, mother. Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to find dresses like those that look good on twenty-year-olds?" Fuutie retorted.

Yelan frowned as something itched at her mind.

Fuutie glanced back toward the family room, where her brother was sleeping with his girlfriend. "Should I make her a bridesmaid too? She'd at least look cute in the dress."

The image of the wedding in Yelan's mind abruptly shifted. Suddenly Sakura was amongst the bridesmaids and the dresses were much improved. She wondered at the changes, but then noted the girl's black-haired friend sitting with the guests. "Yes, I think that would be wise. Also, cancel the bridesmaid dresses. Send Meiling a picture of your gown and your sisters' measurements."

Fuutie blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Meiling can then give that to Sakura's friend, Daidouji, who will do a much better job for the bridesmaid dresses given the chance," Yelan informed.

Fuutie's gaze flattened. "Couldn't you have told me that before?"

Yelan shook her head. "Dealing with Sakura is difficult for me. No longer does fate dictate her; she now dictates her own fate. If she truly wills for something to happen, there is little that could be done to stop it."

"So, if Sakura wanted to be the mother of Syaoran's children soon...?" Fuutie pressed.

Yelan glared. "There's nothing I could do to prevent it."

* * *

Author's Notes:

For those of you who have been reading my Shadow of the Dragon, this story is within the same continuity.

Chapter 2: Sakura's Amusing Day  
A day at the amusement park leads to fun, laughs, and mistletoe.


	2. Sakura's Amusing Day

**Sakura's Christmas Surprise**

_Chapter 2: Sakura's Amusing Day_

By Lord Archive

Characters are property of Clamp and are used without consent.

* * *

Sakura mentally thought of some unpleasant things about Kero-chan having the television on. She really could do without hearing girls chattering 'So cuuuuuute' first thing in the morning, especially with her pillow so lumpy and hard, yet delightfully warm. She blinked open her eyes and then shrieked at the sight of four faces that filled her field of view.

The Li sisters giggled insanely at the flushed look on Sakura's face as she quickly sat up on the couch, clutching a blanket to herself as if she had nothing on.

Realization began to dawn on Sakura as the previous day's events caught up to her. She was in Hong Kong, staying at Syaoran-kun's house. She must've fallen asleep while talking to him, but she didn't quite know how she ended up using his lap as a pillow. Meanwhile Syaoran sputtered incoherently in extreme embarrassment.

"You had better hurry up and get ready. We leave for the amusement park in an hour," Fuutie informed.

"Hoeh?" Sakura emitted.

"Didn't Syaoran tell you of our family's Christmas tradition?" Shiefa questioned.

"Oh, right," Sakura giggled sheepishly.

"Now, don't worry, lil' sis. We'll help you get ready!" Feimei announced cheerfully, excited that eventually she wouldn't be fully considered the youngest sister.

Fanren nodded. "Certainly! Let's go, lil' sis!"

"Wheeeeee!" Sakura cried out as she was dragged out of the room.

Syaoran was left alone in the room. He wasn't entirely sure he liked that Sakura had been so quickly approved to be his girlfriend. Not that he had really given them a choice in the matter.

* * *

Sakura pouted at her image in the mirror. Her frown wasn't because of what she was wearing, as the Chinese silk shirt and pants did look good on her. It was that everyone seemed to like to use her as some life-sized doll. Having four young women poke and prod her excitedly over her 'cuteness' wasn't improving the situation for the teen.

Feimei marveled at the ease they had gotten the girl to play dress-up for them. It was like she was used to having someone rip her clothes off, making Feimei wonder just how innocent the girl's relationship with Syaoran was.

Fanren hugged Sakura from behind. "Just looking at you will knock the breath out of Syaoran!"

Fuutie smirked. "You sure will. Better not try to steal away my fiance or Shiefa's boyfriend while we're at the park."

Sakura blinked. "You're getting married?!"

Fuutie nodded. "This April. Care to be one of my bridesmaids?"

"Me? But you hardly know me," Sakura questioned.

Fuutie smiled at the girl. "I know all I need too. You're going to marry Syaoran some day, which will make you my sister."

Sakura flushed. "But he hasn't... I mean, we're not... engaged or anything."

"Not yet, but mother believes you will be, and she's hardly ever wrong about the future," Fuutie assured.

Sakura gazed back toward the mirror, letting out a whisper of, "Li Sakura...."

Shiefa giggled. "Sends a shiver down your spine, doesn't it? Saying the name you'll have once you're married." She then made a face. "Now if only Wulong would get off his ass and propose."

"I don't think you have long to wait," Fuutie commented. "Mother isn't certain which of us will make her a grandmother first."

"Really? But she's usually so good at something that big. What could throw her sight off?" Shiefa wondered.

Fuutie frowned, not wanting to mention the possibility of Syaoran beating them.

"Love is harder to predict," Sakura replied. "Even Clow Reed had problems with that. He predicted I'd end up with someone else."

"Clow was wrong?!" Fanren chirped in surprise. "You sure it still can't happen?"

Sakura pouted. "Definitely. Yukito-san is WITH my brother."

The Li sisters looked at each other, remembered the two men from meeting them a couple years ago, and in unison cried out, "Such a waste!"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"So, will you be one of my bridesmaids, Sakura?" Fuutie questioned again.

"I'd love too!" Sakura agreed, wanting to cheer on her 'new sister.'

* * *

Syaoran smiled at the present Sakura had given him last night. She had told him she had given similar presents to everyone, yet each one contained a unique picture. The picture was doctored a bit as he had never stood by Sakura while she wore clothes that looked to be a pink version of his ceremonial robes. Though he could not argue with what was written on the photo, 'Partners forever. Sakura and Syaoran in love.'

The boy then stiffened when his mother entered the room, but no words were said. She merely gazed at him. He could never figure out what he could talk to her about. He had certainly tried before, but most of the time she knew of his accomplishments at a task before he had even attempted it. What she didn't know ahead of time, she could look into his past and see it. The only problems she usually had were things like report cards that were written up by someone she didn't know.

An embarrassed blush crept over his face, suspecting that his mother already knew when his first kiss with Sakura would be, and may have even seen it.

Yelan let her eyes rest upon her son. She wondered what she could possibly say to him. How do you tell your kid, 'Don't have sex with your girlfriend, there's a good chance she'd get pregnant?' Even though telling him that would scare him, it'd also put the idea of making love into his head. It was something she always hated about precognition, trying to figure out what to say and what not to say about the future. And despite the warning coming from her, she feared giving it would more cause than prevent the situation.

Both of them were relieved when two young men entered the room.

"Hello, mother," greeted Fuutie's fiance, Henry. His blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin showed his heavily English descent.

"Good morning," added Wulong. His raven hair and dark complexion contrasted strongly with his friend, but complemented nicely with his girlfriend, Shiefa.

After a moment of awkward silence, Henry spoke up, "The girls taking their time to get ready?"

"I guess." Syaoran shrugged. He had gotten quite used to having to wait for Sakura while she played dress-up during their adventures.

"They shall be here momentarily," Yelan noted.

Wulong felt put on edge by the certainty the woman spoke. This wasn't the only time the Li matriarch had said something that she couldn't possibly been able to predict accurately. He certainly didn't believe Henry's joke that the Li family was filled with witches.

Henry and Syaoran moved their attention to the door at Yelan's pronouncement. Seconds later Feimei and Fanren entered the room, quickly followed by the elder Li sisters, and then Sakura.

The boys in the room were each taken by the beauty of their respective girlfriends, each wrapped in delicious silk that accentuated their figures in surprising and delightful ways. Distracted by the sight, it took a moment for the young men to realize the fifth girl wasn't Meiling.

"Who do we have here?" Henry questioned in Cantonese.

Fuutie placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and answered in English, "This little cutie is Syaoran's girlfriend, Kinomoto Sakura." She then motioned with her other hand. "Sakura, that's Henry Drake, my fiance. And he's Jin Wulong, Shiefa's boyfriend."

Sakura blushed as she bowed, and then greeted in accented English, "Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours," Wulong returned, in English as well, guessing the girl was truly Japanese and didn't know Cantonese.

Shiefa smirked. "Don't forget she's spoken for, and so are you."

Wulong raised his hands in mock defense. "There is no one more beautiful to me than you."

Feimei and Fanren latched onto the man while pouting. "And we're not beautiful?"

Wulong shook his head. "I can't win here, can I?"

"Of course not," Henry replied, chuckling.

* * *

Sakura's eyes sparkled as she gazed out of the limousine's window. While the others were left wondering what she found so interesting, she didn't want to waste the chance to see Syaoran's neighborhood. "That is where Meiling lives, right?"

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah. We'll be passing my school on the way to the park."

"Really?!" Sakura chirped. "I want to see it!"

"Sakura, how did you meet Syaoran?" Henry questioned, but was surprised she didn't give a quick answer.

Sakura paused to think, uncertain of how much Henry and Wulong knew of magic, let alone her own abilities. "Syaoran-kun spent a couple years at my school in Tomoeda."

"Where's that?" Wulong asked.

"It is part of northern Tokyo," Sakura replied.

"Was it love at first sight?" Fanren questioned, delighted that the girl had been put on the hot seat.

Sakura shook her head. "I was in love with another then, and I think Syaoran-kun, um, hated me when we first met."

"Hated you?" Henry wondered. "Why would he hate you?"

"Well, I have item that was original made by founder of Li clan and he wanted it," Sakura replied slowly, more from uncertainty of what to say than her English skills. Though she was quickly growing more interested in trying to figure out how to make a card to deal with translating languages.

"So what happened?" Feimei pressed. This was really getting interesting.

Sakura pouted, not wanting to answer.

"I tried to take it from her," Syaoran replied, regret and guilt thick in his words. "Her brother stopped me before I might've hurt her or got what I had wanted."

Henry and Wulong stared in surprise, while the Li sisters merely shook their heads.

"If you met by him trying to mug you, how did you two end up together?" Wulong asked.

"It is really a long story," Sakura replied after a moment. "Syaoran-kun and I were rivals for some time, but over time he did more to help me than fight me. Even though we met poorly, we became friends, and then more."

Feimei reached over and poked Sakura. "You'll have to give me the whole story later."

Sakura blushed while the other Li sisters nodded.

"What happened to the Li clan heirloom you had?" Henry questioned.

"I kind of still have it. I am confirmed owner," Sakura answered.

Fuutie smirked. "It'll return to the Li clan soon enough. Isn't that right, lil' sis?"

Sakura could only blush in response.

* * *

The half-hour car ride had found Sakura on the receiving end of more than her fair share of questions. Though the girl was left wondering why Syaoran's mother never said anything. From her boyfriend's comments, she could guess that at least the young men with them knew nothing of her magic. That had made it even more difficult answering their questions in a language she couldn't be truly considered fluent in yet. Thankfully Kero-chan was a great tutor for English and had helped her immensely with her learning there, but she would never let him near her mathematics studies again.

"The park looks really busy," Sakura noted with slight dread that her wait and the questions would be longer.

"It's always busy for Christmas. Uncle likes to throw a big party," Syaoran replied.

Sakura and the young men looked confused as those statements would seem to be mutually exclusive. They quickly learned it wasn't as the limousine bypassed the line of cars going for the front gates and went down a service road. At the employee entrance several people awaited their arrival.

Yelan exited first and bowed respectfully to a somewhat plump and elderly man. "Greetings, Uncle Hou," she greeted in English, setting the language to be spoken.

"Now, now, Yelan, how many times have I told you to leave the formalities at home," admonished the elderly man. "This is a place for fun, not tradition."

"Saying that won't change me," Yelan retorted.

Uncle Hou smiled as his grandnieces and grandnephew filed out of the limousine. His attention then focused at those who were not Li, starting with the mostly English man. "Fuutie, you have a taste for British I see. Business mind on this one, and might actually contribute to the legacy of the clan." His gaze then focused on Wulong. "A little scrawny, but love doesn't mind such things. A devoted husband he might be, but don't expect much." He then settled his eyes on Sakura and his eyes widened. "Looks like Syaoran definitely will secure the Li legacy for generations to come for his descendants."

Wulong was rather put off by the old man's comments, while Henry had been mostly pleased with what he had been told and was interested in what the man had said about Sakura. The young teen could only blush.

"Uncle, it is not nice to pry like that," Yelan admonished.

"You lecturing me about that?" Uncle Hou laughed. "Now let's not waste time. If you wish to ride our new roller-coaster, now would be the time. I can let you all be the first to ride it today."

"Really?!" Sakura chirped.

"Of course, my dear," Uncle Hou replied. "Enjoy my park to your heart's content."

Sakura smiled in delight. "Thank you!"

* * *

"Everything in order?" Uncle Hou questioned the park attendants that ran the new looping metal roller-coaster.

"Just waiting for the 'live test run,'" replied the one in charge. "I trust you have the 'volunteers.'"

Uncle smirked. "But of course."

The park's customers who had been waiting in line for the past hour for the coaster to open did not buy their lines for a second and only served to irritate them more.

Sakura took it at face value and was ready to help. She dragged Syaoran to the very front of the cars, with his sisters filing in behind along with Henry and Wulong. Syaoran stared in shock as Uncle Hou literally shoved his mother into the back of the cars, while his sisters giggled at the scene.

"Everyone set?" an attendant cried out. Harnesses lowered to secure the passengers into their seats and were tested to make sure they had locked into place. With no problems detected, the ride began.

Sakura's excitement built as the cars slowly rode up the first hill. The moment grew with the tangible pause at the very top before they dropped, screaming all the way. The speed was incredible as they streaked down the tracks and up into the upside down loop.

The hair on Sakura's neck became like needles just before the cars reached the top of the loop, then with a slight 'pop,' her harness unlocked and she felt the all too familiar sensation of momentary weightlessness before free fall.

Dread gripped Syaoran's heart as Sakura began to slip from her seat and immediately reached out, grabbing onto her leg as if his own life depended on it. He barely registered how unyielding her flesh had become, as if her leg was made of iron. He gazed up and saw that his girlfriend had latched onto the harness and was literally bending the metal in her desperation to hold on.

The breaks began to squeal and the cars were forced into an emergency stop before reaching the next hill. Sakura slumped back into her seat, shivering from the adrenaline flooding her body. She looked at the damaged harness and then her hands. Somehow Power had activated and she hadn't even called upon the cards. She willed her magical strength back into a card and frowned at how dim it felt in her hand.

"Sakura, are you all right?!" Syaoran cried out.

"I'm fine, really," was the reply, along with a weak smile.

Park attendants swarmed the coaster, releasing the harness locks manually. More than a few stares were cast at the mangled harness that had been meant to protect the girl. The former passengers, minus Hou, were all led away from the ride and allowed to recoup in a secluded grove of trees.

Sakura found herself being assaulted by questions, and was quite thankful when her boyfriend's mother brought the attention to herself.

"Did anyone sense anything prior to Sakura's harness unlocking?" Yelan questioned.

Her children merely shook their heads while Wulong looked confused at the question. Henry made no reply.

"I'm not sure," Sakura answered. "I wasn't exactly paying attention."

Yelan's frown deepened as she nodded. "I see." She then turned her attention to her uncle as he arrived. "Anything to say?"

"I'll have to study the harness closely, but I'm not sure if I'll find anything," Uncle Hou replied morbidly. "Sakura damaged the harness and her magic is so strong it'll be hard to see past it."

Wulong frowned. "Magic?"

Yelan nodded. "Yes, magic."

Shiefa looked away. "And mother doesn't mean stage magic, but real spells."

Uncle Hou approached Sakura. "I'm afraid I have to ask you to show me some of your magic. You can make it something minor."

The girl nodded and pulled out a card and her key charm attached to her necklace. She chanted, "O Key which hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form before me. I, Sakura, command thee under contract. RELEASE! Brighten up this grove, FLOWER!" The charm grew into a staff, and the card turned into a pretty lady in a pink dress who danced around groove.

What had been grass and trees, was now a wondrous collection of blooming flowers, many of which were out of season or were not native to Hong Kong-- particularly cherry blossoms and nadeshiko.

Uncle Hou was put on edge. "If you consider this minor, I'd hate to see when you do something major."

Sakura smiled weakly. "Sorry."

"Don't be. This will give me a reference point of what I need to ignore when I try to figure out what went wrong," Uncle Hou replied tenderly.

Wulong's body shook and his face was devoid of blood as he looked at Henry. "You really weren't joking."

"Of course not," Henry replied, awe dripping into his words. "Though what Fuutie has shown me was nothing compared to this."

Yelan gazed at each of those present. "It would be best if we enjoy the rest of the day separately. Though we'll meet up at noon for lunch."

Reluctantly the Li sisters nodded and departed along with Henry and Wulong.

"Sakura, are you really okay?" Syaoran pressed.

"I'm FINE!" Sakura returned a little heatedly. "I just need to repay Power for what she did."

"How did you activate Power?" Syaoran question.

"I didn't," was her reply. "Power activated on her own to save me. But she used up a lot of the magic she had stored up to do that."

Syaoran stared in surprise. Just how much magic was his girlfriend feeding the cards that they could act up on their own? Sure they were still sealed by her will and could not do anything she didn't want them to, but the level of power to allow self-activation was beyond what he had thought possible.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Syaoran asked yet again.

Sakura scowled. "Syaoran-kun, just how many times has the cards and then Eriol-kun put me through worse than this? I'm okay, REALLY!" She then smirked. "Now lets go on some other rides, though let's stick with the ones on ground level for now."

"If you're..." Syaoran backed off at the glare he received. "Okay, how about the merry-go-round?"

"That's for kids," Sakura returned. "Bumper cars. Maybe I can knock it into your head that I'm perfectly fine," she teased.

After they left, Yelan turned toward her uncle. "Was this an accident?"

Uncle Hou scowled. "Dear, this is the first 'accident' my park has EVER had since I took ownership. And even if her harness had malfunctioned, Syaoran's harness should've released as well. I just can't tell yet if it was physically or magically tampered with."

Yelan's continuous frown deepened. "So, we can't be sure if the target is your park or her."

"Not until I've studied it some more, but the girl did a number on it. I may never know," Uncle Hou replied.

"Not until the next attempt is made," Yelan returned morbidly.

* * *

Feimei waltzed through the amusement park as if she owned it. Considering Uncle Hou's only child died years ago, there was a chance she just might own it in the future. It didn't hurt that she was invisible to naked eye. She could go anywhere and do just about anything without getting into any trouble.

Being invisible to others certainly had its advantages. She could see and do things very few other people could hope to do. Years ago she had even gone into the boys bathroom, but that experience had been a bit disappointing. Truthfully, her ability of stealth wasn't all that great an ability. In most cases it was like finding out what you'd get for Christmas before the day arrived, so when it was time to unwrap presents there was little in the way of surprise or true joy. Still, her curiosity often got the best of her, and she'd try to find out anyway.

"I just wanted a closer look at that statue!" cried out a young man of obvious Chinese descent. 'Geek' would be the first word that came to Feimei's mind about his bespectacled and thin appearance.

The overweight guard's firm grip on him tightened. "That's not allowed."

"Fine, I won't go near it. Just let me go," the man protested.

"Of course you won't. Not after I throw you out of the park..." The guard's eyes narrowed. "...again."

Feimei thought to herself. She could think of only one statue at the park that patrons couldn't get near and would attract attention of park security: the golem in the Fantasy Fun House. The debate of who to side with ended quickly, as did how she would handle things.

The guard suddenly felt a breeze against bare skin as his pants suddenly dropped down to his knees, and he promptly fell to the ground.

"GAH! Wear underwear, you fat slob!" Feimei screeched, kicking him in the ass.

The young man stood staring in surprise at the guard before feeling a slender hand grip his upper arm, which then pulled him into a run. The hand didn't leave him until a fair distance away from the guard. The disembodied panting turned into laughter as a young beautiful woman slowly materialized before him.

"That was too much fun!" Feimei announced.

"Who are you?" the guy questioned.

"I'm Feimei, you?" the girl returned.

"Fu Kau," the man replied. "Are you a ghost or a magician?"

"The latter," Feimei answered simply. "What were you doing that attracted 'butt-ugly's' attention?"

Kau slumped against a wall. "I just wanted to get a closer look at some of the magic kept in this park. I must say, hiding things like a golem in plain sight as part of a tourist attraction is genius. But every time I go to look at something, guards show up and kick me out."

"Magic isn't something for the uninitiated," Feimei returned.

Kau huffed. "I know a little magic, but what little my great-grandfather left in his books isn't enough. I need to learn more."

Feimei smirked. "You just may get your chance."

Kau looked at her almost pleadingly. "Would you teach me magic?"

"I'm not a teacher," Feimei returned. "All I can say is that I keep finding out about my Christmas presents too soon."

Kau blinked in confusion. "I don't follow."

Feimei almost laughed. "You will. It's almost time for lunch. Care to join me and my family?"

Kau wasn't sure what to make of all of this, but agreed.

Feimei sighed quietly. Unless she missed her guess, this guy was the romantic prospect Fanren had divined from her horoscope. Being a mage was certainly a plus, but did the guy have to look like such a geek?

* * *

"Something on your mind?" Fuutie questioned her fiance.

Henry smiled sheepishly. "I really don't know how to say this without coming off wrong." He paused in thought. "Well, I expected that your brother would be the next head of clan being the only son, but your uncle mentioned him securing that status with Sakura."

"Ah, you want to know how we determine who's the head of clan?" Fuutie guessed.

"I guess." Henry nodded.

"Well, it's both simple and complex," Fuutie began. "At the dawning of the year of the dragon, or shortly after the death of the current clan head, a challenge is set up to see who will take the reign as head of clan. Anyone who is a descendant within two generations from the current or any former clan head may take part if they wish to."

"So if you don't become clan head and none of our children, our grandchildren can forget being clan head," Henry surmised.

Fuutie nodded. "Yes, considering Syaoran's strength and that he'll marry the heir of Clow, the only way one of our descendants will get to be clan head is if one of them marries one of Syaoran's."

"What kind of challenge is it?" Henry questioned.

"Don't know until it's time to compete. There's a book that has the challenges written in it, but don't bother trying to read ahead as it only reveals what you have to do when those who wish to compete sign their name to it. You'd have to see the future to know what it will be, and even that is not always successful." Fuutie looked up to the sky. "The kinds of challenges it's had are sometimes strange. Mother won her first competition over my Great Uncle Li with a foot race, but the book created an obstacle course with a path different than what she had foreseen. Yet the advantage was still hers, being younger and capable of seeing the near future. The last one was too easy for Mother. It was the 'Ball-Under-the-Cup' game."

"The book can give the advantage to someone of lesser magic?" Henry observed.

"Technically, but you'd still need magic to have a prayer of winning," Fuutie replied. "If mother had half the magic she did during that first challenge or hadn't recovered yet from giving birth to Syaoran, she could've been killed by the obstacles. And it's mother's precognition that let her keep her title."

"Ouch." Henry shuddered. "Glad I don't have to compete. I like my neck where it is."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wulong questioned harsher than he had intended.

"How should I have told you?" Shiefa returned. "Tell you on our first date, 'Oh, by the way, I can cast spells and use magic.' It's not something I can just tell a person."

"But when were you going to tell me? After you married me?" Wulong pressed.

"No. Once you proposed I was going to tell you," Shiefa replied. "I had to be sure that you loved me enough to not betray me."

"Betray you?" Wulong questioned, looking a bit hurt at the accusation.

Shiefa sighed. "Do you have any idea how many of my family members were murdered because someone learned of their magic? And most of them were either killed by their lover's own hands or by a being lynched from a mob the lover gathered."

"You should know me better than that," Wulong retorted.

"Believe me, I wanted to trust you with this, but I didn't want to scare you away either. I love you too much to have you walk away from me just because of a little gift I inherited from my family," Shiefa explained, tears welling up into her eyes.

Wulong frowned. Having Shiefa killed was definitely something he'd never do, but even now there was some temptation to break everything off with her. She did have a right to be scared in that regard, but he still couldn't help but feel she should've told him long ago. He shook his head. "Just... how strong are you... magic wise?"

Shiefa gazed at her feet. "Not very strong at all. I know a few spells, but nothing on the order Fuutie and Feimei could do, nor is my foresight anywhere near as accurate as Fanren's. To put in perspective: I'm a small knife. Fanren is more of a sword, while Fuutie and Feimei are handguns. Syaoran is military soldier loaded for heavy combat. Mother is more of Special Forces Black-Ops. And unless I'm mistaken, Sakura is on the order of a nuclear weapon."

"What can you do with your magic?" Wulong pressed.

"A few illusions and some minor healing, but that's about it," Shiefa replied. "Chances are any kids we have won't have any magic."

Wulong blinked. "Are you all right with that?"

Shiefa nodded. "I've watched the hells my family put Fuutie and Syaoran through just because they were talented enough to claim head of clan. Syaoran especially. He's never had a chance to be a child. I don't want to put any of my children through that."

Wulong was half-tempted to hug her, but he still felt betrayed by her. "Are there any special duties to your family I should know about?"

"Doubt it. The only possibility would be to challenge Syaoran and Mother for clan leadership the next year of the dragon, but I have no interest in doing that. Even if lil' bro and his girlfriend somehow go evil on us, I'd sooner move away from them than try to fight them," Shiefa explained.

Wulong settled for putting his arm around her shoulders. "Well, let's try to forget about this right now and try to enjoy the rest of the day," he lied. He would be considering everything she had told him before he'd decide on whether or not to give her the small present in his pocket.

* * *

Fanren didn't pay attention to the time, but as the clock struck noon she arrived at one of the many restaurants at the park. She blinked at the fact that her mother and Uncle Hou were indeed there waiting for everyone despite that this restaurant served mostly greasy and relatively cheap foods like hamburgers and fries. Not that she minded American foods, but it wasn't what even she expected her insanely rich family would have for lunch. What didn't come as a surprise was that the meals were already ordered and waiting to be eaten.

Fanren sat at the seat with the burger marked for no tomatoes or mayonnaise and politely waited for her siblings and their respective love interests. She then gazed across from what was presumably Feimei's seat of a hamburger with hot sauce was an extra tray of food. She smirked, guessing her morning prediction for Feimei had come to pass already.

Shiefa arrived with her boyfriend, and the girl scowled at her mother. Not that Fanren could blame her elder sister. Wulong had definitely been put on edge by Sakura's magic, and rubbing his nose into more of it would not really be a good idea.

Fuutie and Henry made no comment as they arrived, quickly finding their own seats.

Syaoran and Sakura gave raise to some giggling as the pair arrived looking like drowned rats, obviously having gone to some of the water rides. His mother wordlessly handed them a bag that undoubtedly contained dry clothes. They were gone for only a minute before they returned in fresh clothes.

Syaoran directed Sakura to what seat she'd have, and to Fanren's surprise the girl looked around before getting up to grab some mustard packets, which she promptly poured onto her fries. It wasn't the topping, but that her mother didn't foresee the need for it. She could understand issues arising with Feimei's love as they had never met, but her mother should know Sakura better-- especially considering the prediction that the girl would marry Syaoran.

The youngest Li looked over at the vacant seats with a puzzled look. While Feimei being late was hardly new, the extra tray of food left him confused. He opened his mouth to speak, but his attention was quickly diverted to where everyone else was staring.

Feimei was dragging a thin, bespectacled young man towards them.

The Li matriarch advanced toward the couple, her piercing gaze focused on the newcomer. His eyes glazed over for a moment, before she nodded and he shook his head clear.

Feimei pouted. "Mother, did you have to do that?"

She ignored her daughter. "Greetings, Fu Kau. I trust you'll take good care of my daughter."

"HOEH?!" Sakura chirped.

Kau's response wasn't much different. "Huh?! What are you talking about?"

Feimei scowled. "It's more than enough I knew ahead of time. Do you really have to let him know too?"

"This will allow him to understand your uncertainty in the days to come for he will share it," Yelan returned.

"Just what are you saying here?" Kau demanded.

Fanren smirked. "I predicted that Feimei would be meeting her future husband today, and that would be you."

"HUSBAND?!" Feimei screeched. "You told me, 'love interest!'"

"Thought I'd soften the blow a little," Fanren returned.

Kau slowly absorbed what had just been announce, causing his head to spin. He started to lean backwards as he fainted, only to be caught by Wei, which was made a little difficult because the elderly servant was also recording everything on a video camera.

"I will definitely have to make a copy of this before sending it to Daidouji-sama," Wei commented with an amused smile.

* * *

"There you are!"

Kau groaned at the plump guard waddling fiercely toward them.

"Oh, great. It's 'butt-ugly' again," Feimei groused.

The guard scowled, hearing her words. He grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her out of her seat. "Well, if it isn't his accomplice? You're in big trouble."

"Don't like your job much, do you?" Feimei growled. "I'd like to introduce you to my Great Uncle Hou, the OWNER of the park."

The guard looked over and indeed saw the park owner seated at the table, but the icy glare from the woman across him froze terror in his heart. He made no move as the girl pulled free of his grasp.

"Now, now. No need to get upset here," Hou said calmly. "He was only doing his job." He then gazed at the guard. "Fu Kau is my grandniece's fiance, treat him as an important guest whenever he visits. He can look at the special exhibits if he wants to, but continue to make sure no one outside of my family does. And these fine boys and this little darling should be counted as part of my family as well."

The guard straightened up. "Ah, yes sir. I'll let the others in security know."

"Do that," Yelan hissed. "And start wearing underpants."

Feimei and Kau laughed at the Li matriarch's last comment, while it left the others confused, shocked, and/or disgusted. With the horrid image that had been aroused, lunch came to a sudden, stomach-turning end. The embarrassed guard waddled off as fast as his feet could take him.

Sakura shook her head clear, then whispered to her boyfriend, "Special exhibits?"

Syaoran whispered his reply to her in Japanese, "We've hid a few of Clow's and other family heirlooms here."

"Ah! I see!" Sakura nodded. "I knew I sensed a few odd things here."

Syaoran frowned. "Um, I'll be back in a while."

Sakura blinked. "Where are you going?"

Syaoran blushed and fidgeted. "Bathroom."

Sakura's face also became a deeper shade of red. "Ah. Hurry back."

"Might not be able too," Syaoran replied sheepishly.

Sakura pouted.

Fanren placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Why don't we go to one of the 'special exhibits' while lil' bro is 'occupied?' There's quite a story to tell with it."

Uncle Hou sighed at the girl's pronouncement. "You like that story too much."

"You know why I like it," Fanren returned.

"All too well," Uncle Hou conceded.

"Let's all go!" Fanren cheered. "This deals with some family history, so don't go around repeating this."

Yelan and Hou remained behind as everyone else followed behind Fanren as she began her tale.

"This began many years ago, with two people whose lives were so intertwined that they were born on the very same day!" Fanren began with the same sort of tone and flare Naoko liked to use at the start of her ghost stories, causing Sakura's goose-bumps to raise. "Hou was the great-grandson of a previous Li clan leader. Minmei was the second of three children and only daughter born to my great-grandfather who was the clan head at that time. As such, both were cousins and were raised together. They were inseparable as they grew up. Where one of them went, you could be sure the other was also there as well. They were closer than a brother and sister could be!"

Sakura frowned as the entered the park's haunted house attraction. She never did well with these sort of things, especially when Syaoran wasn't around.

Fanren didn't seem to notice the young teen's discomfort as she continued, "On their twelfth birthday it was learned that they truly did EVERYthing together. Minmei was pregnant with Hou's child!"

"Hoeh?!" Sakura chirped in surprised. "A girl can have a baby THAT young?!"

"If a girl bleeds, she can breed," Fuutie intoned, hopefully in warning to the young girl.

"It was more of a shock that the two were lovers than Minmei being pregnant," Fanren corrected. "But the pure love of Hou and Minmei led to the creation of new life! While Minmei's father and Hou's parents tried to figure out what to do, the young couple had their own idea of what they should do."

"What could they do? They were only kids," Wulong commented.

Fanren waved her finger. "You have to realize this was 1952. The concept of teenagers was still fairly new. Besides, they may have been young, but they loved each other more than anything else. The pregnancy could've been ended; however, Minmei and Hou demanded not only to keep the baby but to get married as well!"

Sakura's mind quickly was whisked away by an image of herself being married to Syaoran and starting a family. The concept was both frightening and exciting at the same time. She then found herself back in reality as Fuutie placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Minmei and Hou proved their devotion to each other by forsaking their childish ways and becoming man and wife. Hou worked on ways he could help provide for his family, while Minmei did all she could to make sure her baby would be healthy," Fanren continued. "They were as happy as any married couple could be, but their happiness was not to last."

"What happened?" Sakura fretted.

"Minmei was a skilled magic-user in her own right, even if she was overshadowed by the talent and training her brothers had. And her particular talents resided mostly in her dreams. As her due date drew closer, so did the frequency and severity of her nightmares. Those nightmares let her know that she would have to make a choice. A choice that no one should ever have to make."

Sakura was shivering with expectant dread, and could not voice her question.

It was Henry who ended up asking, "What was this choice?"

"That only one would survive the birth. It could either be the mother or the daughter, but not both," Fanren answered. "Minmei told her husband of what would happen, but only in terms that she would die giving birth. Hou knew his wife was lying to him, that their baby could die in place of the mother. As much as it pained him, knowing his beloved Minmei could live but choose not too, he acceded to her wish. For he truly knew his wife, and that had she lived at the expense of their child's life would leave Minmei broken, a shadow of the girl he loved. He promised he would love their daughter dearly, and would not blame either mother or child for what would happen."

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes, while the others listened intently.

"Labor came upon Minmei quickly. There had hardly been anytime to call a doctor. With her young age, the delivery was extremely troublesome. She was bleeding badly as the baby pushed out of her body. The little infant wasn't breathing after birth, and the doctor could only see to one of them. With Minmei unconscious, Hou asserted that the doctor should care for the baby first.

"Minmei never woke to hear her baby cry. She bled to death while her daughter's life was saved. Hou continued to tell his wife how beautiful their child was, and how much he loved her until the hand he held went cold and her skin paled from lack of blood."

Henry smirked at Wulong's attempt to not cry, with a few tears in his own eyes, while Sakura was almost sobbing.

Fanren wiped away her own tears. "True to his words, Hou cared for his daughter, whom he named Meiling. The little girl became the whole world for her father, and knew of the love and sacrifice she had received from her mother. She quickly grew up into a beautiful young girl with an amazing magical talent. At the age of ten she was approaching the level of skill her uncles had. She stood a strong chance to even become the head of clan at the age of twelve!"

"Really?" Sakura asked, trying to reign in her emotions.

Fanren nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, Meiling never got to see her eleventh birthday. On a day that was supposed to be filled with fun and excitement as Hou's mother took her to a newly opened amusement park, an accident happened. They were inside a fun house as the wires in it overloaded and an electrical fire erupted all throughout the attraction. Thirty people died inside that fun house as it burnt to the ground, Meiling and her grandmother included."

Sakura pouted, on the verge of more tears. "Oh, poor Uncle Hou."

"Oh, you can be sure Uncle Hou was indeed upset at the death of his daughter and mother. He attacked the park until it became his. He vowed he would run this park with religious devotion to preventing accidents, which the roller-coaster incident this morning is the ONLY accident I know of since Uncle Hou took over the park. He wanted to make this park a place for children to enjoy and be young, for Minmei, Meiling, nor himself ever got to truly be children themselves," Fanren finished. She then turned and looked to the left side of where Sakura was standing, and asked, "Did I tell that right, Aunt Meiling?"

Sakura blinked and slowly turned her head and saw the transparent image of a girl who looked very similar to the girl she knew of with that same name.

"You did," the ghost replied. The apparition then turned to look upon the Japanese girl. "Beware, the fate that befell me may yet fall upon you."

All life drained from the emerald-eyed girl before she screamed at the top of her lungs and ran away faster than her legs should've been able to carry her.

"What's with her?" Feimei wondered. "And what do you mean by that, Aunt Meiling?"

The ghost made no reply.

Fuutie found Henry's hand gripping hers dangerously tight as he stared at what appeared to him to be a floating mist. Wulong looked around in confusion, guessing there was supposed to be some sort of ghost here, but he certainly couldn't see anything. Meanwhile, Kau had approached the ghostly girl and was trying to poke her, but only felt cold air. The dead girl scowled at him and disappeared from sight.

Shiefa sighed. "Well, Fanren has had her fun, let's go back."

The group exited the haunted house, and quickly found Sakura wrapped around Syaoran. The poor girl shivering in fright, repeating the Japanese word for ghost. The boy could only tried to soothe his girlfriend, claiming his dead aunt meant her no harm.

* * *

Despite the ghostly encounter and the incident in the morning, Sakura still regretted seeing the sun set. She then brightened knowing that with dusk falling over the park, it would soon be time for the fireworks show. Though the girl was wondering what Henry found to be funny as they approached the viewing platform reserved for the Li family and their guests.

"Well, look who stepped under the mistletoe!" Henry called out.

With the heavy British influence in Hong Kong, the meaning of the statement did not escape Syaoran as he slowly looked up and saw green leaves with tiny red balls over his head. He sighed with defeat in his posture as his sisters promptly swarmed around him. Fuutie's lips upon his forehead, Shiefa the tip of his nose, Fanren and Feimei took each of his cheeks, and the final one upon his lips. Syaoran blinked repeatedly and blushed cherry red, seeing the fifth person to have given him the quick peck was indeed Sakura.

Sakura's red face matched his as she fidgeted before him. "Um, Merry Christmas, Syaoran."

The boy smiled at her, his lips still tingling from the extremely brief contact. "Yeah... Happy Christmas, Sakura."

Then the sky exploded into color as the first fireworks were launched. Syaoran wrapped his arm around Sakura's back as they moved forward to watch the display.

Yelan watched as her other children followed suit, a rare smile appearing on her face as she did not miss the ring that now adorned Shiefa's hand. Soon Feimei would also have a ring for herself. She then frowned at Fanren standing alone, but knew that had been the girl's choice rather than design and could not begrudge her for the fate that had been handed her.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Coming Soon:  
Chapter 3 - Sakura's Friends at Home  
Meiling takes Tomoyo, Rika and Naoko to an amusement park, while Chiharu tries to figure out what to do with her engagement.

And the plot bunnies keep popping up. I hadn't planned on half the stuff involving Syaoran's sisters or the situation with Aunt Meiling when I started this. However, the additions have helped me immensely to flush out the background for Shadow of the Dragon.

And just to make it clear, Li Meiling was named after her Aunt Meiling.

Figuring out the date for a series that gives half-statement of when it occurs can be quite annoying. However, Touya's birthday being on Leap Day, February 29th, pretty strongly stamps a solid date reference. The only problem, though, is which leap year? 1976? 1980? 1984? Well, manga wise 1980 would be the favored year. With the anime, 1984 becomes possible. As I follow the anime more, I'll be taking the 1984 route. This puts Sakura's adventures as either being 2000 or 2001, depending on whether Touya was held back a year for whatever reason. As that seems unlikely, at start of series he would've been sixteen with age references of seventeen being a result that's the median age of eleventh graders.

What this means for Sakura's Christmas Surprise is that it occurs in December of 2003, with Christmas day being on a Thursday. By extension Shadow of the Dragon would begin in April of 2005.


	3. Sakura's Friends at Home

****

Sakura's Christmas Surprise

_Chapter 3: Sakura's Friends at Home_

By Lord Archive

Characters are property of Clamp and are used without consent.

* * *

Naoko wasn't used to needing to be quiet in the morning. Her parents were usually long gone before she woke up and slept like the dead on Sundays. It was fun seeing the state that her friends were in while they slept. The immaculate hair they held during the day were tangled messes. Not to mention the odd positions their sleeping bodies contorted too, some suggesting unclean dreams. Particularly Tomoyo with her hand lost into the depths of her pajamas. While there was little doubt who Meiling, Rika and Chiharu would dream about, Tomoyo remained a mystery. Did she fancy someone at school, or were her thoughts on a movie star or some singer?

Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, Naoko left her room to tend to her morning rituals. She didn't want to wake her friends, and that somehow caused every sound she made seem louder than it could possibly be. It was almost amazing to her that after a half-hour of her moving about, not one of the other girls had awakened.

The sun greeted Naoko as she opened her front door. She smiled; noticing the threat of overnight flurries had amounted to nothing. Not a speck of snow could be seen, meaning Meiling's plans for the amusement park today did not have to be canceled. Though the wind of winter's chill meant they would need windbreaker jackets to stay warm. The water rides were certainly out.

The final morning task for the Yanagisawa household was grabbing the mail. While Christian families dominated Tomoeda, Japan was still a Buddhist and Shinto country. It was only commercially observed as it gave retail stores an excuse to sell more merchandise. Since the government didn't see the day as being a proper holiday, the mail was still delivered.

Naoko blinked as she pulled out a large, thick, orange envelope. Rarely had her parents received anything of that size, causing her to look at who it was addressed too. The various other letters, bills, and junk mail cascaded to the ground as she read that it was from 'Dragon' and addressed to 'Konagi Noa,' her penname. She immediately ripped it opened and the outside world ceased to matter.

"HOLY SHIT!!! OH, MY GOD!!!" Naoko screamed into the air, which was followed by demented laughter. She danced around her front yard. "I WON!!! OH, MY GOD, I WOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!"

There was no sleeping through the happy screeching. Meiling was half-tempted to smack the girl for waking her, and Chiharu shared the sentiment. Tomoyo, while interested in why Naoko was so happy, still wished she had gotten more sleep. Only Rika was purely interested in knowing what made the girl so happy, but she didn't even get the chance to ask.

"I got the grand prize! They published my story!" Naoko announced holding up the professional magazine.

"Congratulations," the girls replied, though a couple of them didn't sound like they meant it at the moment.

"What's the prize for it?" Rika questioned.

"They published my story and a check for a million yen," Naoko replied, though she was more interested in the former. She then blinked at what was attached to the prize money. Reading it over twice to be sure and then flipping to the papers beneath that. Her legs gave out and she plopped down to the cold concrete walkway.

"Something wrong?" Tomoyo asked.

Naoko held up the papers in her hand. "It's a contract. They... they want to add my series to their line up. They... they published 'The Slayers' novella and now they want to publish ME!"

No one was in any state to notice that Tomoyo's smile became extremely forced.

Chiharu slipped back into the house, and then promptly swore. "I'm fucking late! I got to go NOW!"

"My, you girls are growing up." Meiling chuckled. "Sasaki is getting laid, Yanagisawa has a job, and Mihara swears."

"I haven't gone THAT far," Rika protested.

"Guess we're the late bloomers, Meiling-chan," Tomoyo added to the joke.

"Not by choice," Meiling returned.

Tomoyo nodded. "It's a shame the ones we love don't love us that way."

"Really! I'm a virgin!" Rika protested to the deaf ears of her teasers.

* * *

Chiharu was quite thankful she had thought ahead and had everything packed and ready for her trip. She wished she had time to take a shower, but the Yamazaki family was waiting for her and their destination included hot springs. As it stood, the girl set herself with a marathon pace while she ran down the road burdened with a pair of suitcases and a toiletry bag for her ten day trip.

Panting heavily, the girl arrived and gave a sigh of relief seeing Takashi's father still putting stuff into the car. "Sorry I'm late. I'm afraid I slept in."

"That's all right. We're running behind as well," Mr. Yamazaki replied, taking Chiharu's bags and adding them into the trunk of his car. He then noticed the girl fidgeting. "Something wrong?"

"Just feeling a bit anxious," Chiharu admitted.

Mr. Yamazaki raised an eyebrow. "Why? You've gone with us on this trip before."

"I hadn't gone there as Takashi's fiancee before," Chiharu reminded.

Mr. Yamazaki laughed and ruffled her hair with his hand. "We asked you to come with us before because we hoped you would marry Takashi some day. Though if it were to happen this early, we thought it would've been because of an 'accident.'"

Chiharu frowned, not missing what he had meant. She didn't know if she ever would've been planning to have sex with or marry Takashi if it wasn't for her father dying from cancer. The whole idea frightened her. Yet she didn't have a choice in the matter. No one had asked her if she wanted any of this.

* * *

Meiling had spent several months in Tomoeda years ago. She knew her way around town fairly well, yet the long walk across town to the amusement park left her looking at the scenery as if it she had never been there before. While most of the families weren't as rich as the Li clan, she now realized for the first time that none of the people who lived here could be considered poor. The fact that Yanagizawa was still fawning over being published and all-but-ignored her million-yen check highlighted that fact to her.

"You know, I never realized there wasn't a McWonder Burger in Tomoeda before," Meiling observed.

"The ward practically outlawed fast food restaurants like that, or almost any other chain store for that matter," Rika replied. "Aries Restaurant is about the only one."

Meiling let out a short laugh. "Have to keep up the high class image."

"Pretty much." Tomoyo nodded. "You seem to be more observant now."

Meiling smirked. "More like I had tunnel vision. Syaoran was my world, and anything that interfered with that, I hated. And believe me, I had hated Kinomoto the moment I met her."

"Really?" Rika questioned.

"Well, how would you react to seeing a girl wearing your boyfriend's shirt?" Meiling returned.

Rika and Naoko looked at Meiling with surprise. "Sakura-chan was wearing WHAT?!"

"Now, Meiling-chan, you know that was all a misunderstanding," Tomoyo commented. "Sakura-chan had fallen into water and Li-kun's home was a lot closer."

"I see." Rika nodded. "Still, a girl wearing a guy's shirt would lead anyone to jump to conclusions that she had done certain things with him."

"You would know," Meiling teased.

Rika flushed and hissed, "Meiling-chan, don't talk about THAT!"

"Sorry." Meiling flinched. She doubted anyone else had heard her comment, but they were in public now. "Anyway, needless to say I didn't start off on good terms with Kinomoto. I always thought she was a threat that could take Syaoran from me. I only took a chance to be her friend after I learned she loved someone else then. Unfortunately, Syaoran still fell in love with her and Tsukishiro didn't return her feelings."

"That must make things pretty rough for you," Rika commented sympathetically.

"At least I lost to Kinomoto. She's nice enough. I can accept her with Syaoran," Meiling replied with a shrug as if she didn't care anymore, yet her eyes casted a faraway look toward Hong Kong.

* * *

The long drive to Izumo seemed even longer to a pair of young teens sitting in the back of a car. Mr. Yamazaki smirked when both of the kids yawned at the same time.

Chiharu leaned against her fiance and shut her eyes.

Takashi took a whiff of her hair. "Didn't shower, huh?"

"Can say the same about you," Chiharu returned.

Takashi smirked. "Did you know that showers were first-"

Chiharu interrupted him by placing her hand over his mouth. "Shut it. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Too much fun at Yanagisawa's slumber party?" Takashi questioned.

Chiharu shifted to make herself more comfortable. "Something like that."

"Fine. I'll be your pillow." Takashi smiled, placing his hand on top of hers. He gentle rubbed his fingers alongside her soft hand. Soon she fell asleep, and he followed soon after.

"There are times I wonder if we're doing the right thing agreeing to let Takashi marry Chiharu-chan," Mr. Yamazaki admitted. "Yet I can't imagine those two ever being apart."

* * *

Meiling pointed at the park's premier roller coaster. "Let's ride that next!"

"Looks like fun," Rika replied.

Naoko looked up from her magazine. "They won't let me ride that."

"Why not?" Meiling questioned.

Naoko hid her blushing face behind her magazine. "I threw up on it both times I rode it. I love the ride, my stomach hates it."

"Why don't you two go on ahead, while I'll stay with Naoko-chan," Tomoyo suggested.

"Are you sure?" Meiling questioned, but shrugged at the nod she got as a reply.

"Suit yourself. Meet at the Pavilion for lunch?" Meiling asked.

Tomoyo nodded again. "Sounds like a plan."

"You didn't have to stay with me," Naoko commented. "I'd be happy enough reading my story."

Tomoyo frowned at Naoko. Her bespectacled friend still had yet to pry her eyes off the magazine featuring her story for more than a few seconds. She didn't want to pull the proverbial cloud out from under her, making her crash back to Earth, but this was something the girl needed to know. "Did you know that my mother tried to get me a job as a clothing designer?"

Naoko shook her head. "You never mentioned that before."

"Unfortunately even sketching out an outfit for pay was considered work, and the school wouldn't give me a permit for it," Tomoyo informed. "Apparently the school felt my education was more important and didn't want to distract me with deadlines and other issues a job would entail. I could still sell my designs, but it had to be entirely freelanced. I could not, for example, create my own clothing line label."

Naoko froze, her arms dropping lifelessly and almost letting go of her magazine. Finally she found her voice, "You mean the school won't let me write for Dragon?!"

"As a career, I'm afraid not," Tomoyo replied.

"What could they do to me if I took the job anyway?" Naoko wondered nervously.

"Expel you," Tomoyo answered firmly.

Naoko made a strange sound mixing surprise and anguish. "But I WANT to write. Maybe I should quit school for this."

Tomoyo smirked ever so slightly. "I wouldn't be so hasty. It can't be a CAREER job, but you could still do it freelance."

Naoko fumbled through the contract. "That isn't what they're asking for. They want monthly installments and three-years commitment."

Tomoyo glanced at the document. "They would also want to meet with you and give you an editor."

"None of that would work!" Naoko cried out in distress.

"There is a way I can be of some help," Tomoyo announced. "I can let you borrow one of mother's lawyers and have her take care of the contractual details so you'd never have to meet them nor have it read as if it's a job, but something extra you do for them."

Naoko's face lit up and engulfed the girl in a fierce hug. "THANK YOU!"

* * *

"You," was heard in stereo at the counter of the park restaurant.

Meiling folded her arms. "What are you doing here? It's not like your sister is with us."

Touya scowled at the girl. "I still need to work part-time jobs."

"College tuition is rather expensive," Yukito added with smile.

"Whatever, just get me a hamburger with everything," Meiling growled out.

Tomoyo giggled at the exchange while Rika and Naoko had to wonder what the story was between those two.

Food ordered and received, the girls sat and talked about little things as they ate. Though the discussion was shallow, two girls held long piercing gazes to a far off city where their respective loves were.

After Rika and Naoko departed for the bathroom, Tomoyo politely took the dirty trays to the trashcan.

Yukito walked up to Tomoyo. "Letting go is hard, isn't it?"

"Am I that obvious?" Tomoyo replied with a frown.

Yukito shook his head. "I don't think even Toya has noticed."

"I want to say so much, but I can't," Tomoyo replied.

Yukito smiled sadly. "I know that feeling, though for different reasons. It was hard to say, 'I'm not human.' It was even harder to say 'I love you' to another guy." The platinum haired man smirked a little. "Toya has yet to say the words to me. Only nodded the one time I asked."

Tomoyo bowed her head, willing her long hair to obscure her face. "As hard as that may have been for you, it's not so easy for me."

Yukito nodded shallowly. "My life is for them, and I will always be a part of it while they live."

"And mine was for her, yet little by little she moves away from me. All I wish for her is to be happy. I keep saying that makes me happy." Tomoyo's looked up to gaze toward Hong Kong. "But I keep wondering about the day when Sakura-chan leaves for Hong Kong... and doesn't come back. Where will that leave me?"

"Her most precious and beloved best friend. Nothing will ever change that," Yukito replied. "Though you should really consider something. You have spent so much time on Sakura-chan, I believe it's time you started to think about yourself. What do you enjoy that doesn't involve Sakura-chan? What do you want to do after you finish school? What do you want to make of yourself? And while trying to find yourself, you may find that special person who was meant for you and you alone. One who loves you the way you want to love them."

"Those words sound so simple, so easy," Tomoyo stated evenly.

"Yet they can be the hardest thing a person can be asked to do," Yukito added.

"I just keep thinking one more picnic, one more video of Sakura-chan. That's all I need to be happy forever." Tomoyo let out a false giggle. "It's like I'm addicted to her."

Yukito glanced across the sea of tables seeing Touya talk to Meiling. "Love makes us all fools."

-

Meiling glanced up with a glare as Touya wiped the table she was sitting at. "What are you doing?"

"My job," Touya replied curtly. "You know you never had a chance with the brat."

"Syaoran is not a brat! You don't even know him." Meiling huffed. "And he'd still be mine if you kept your sister away from him."

"I could say the same about you not keeping the brat away from my sister," Touya returned. He looked away. "There was nothing we could do about them."

"Says you." Meiling gritted her teeth. "Syaoran was mine first. Your stupid-faced sister stole him."

"You didn't do a good job holding on to him," Touya shot back.

"I tried to! I wanted to hold onto to him forever." Meiling's voice wavered. "But the tighter I held him, the more he slipped away from me."

Touya looked away. "I've tried not holding Sakura tightly. I let her have the freedom she needed to face her destiny. She still moved away from me more and more."

Meiling huffed. "You'll always be her brother. I'll never be Syaoran's wife. You may not see her everyday, but your relationship will never change. And neither will mine with him, even though I want it to. Damn it, I still love him."

Touya let out a shallow laugh. "My relationship with Sakura will change... No, it has changed. She doesn't look to me for help anymore. She doesn't need me. She has that brat now."

Meiling scowled. "Bullshit. Sure she's grown up and doesn't need you to tie her shoelaces, but when doesn't she need someone's help? This is your sister we're talking about. She may have power coming out of her ears, but she's still useless by herself. Syaoran may be great, but he can't possibly help her with everything. And what did you expect from her? To live with you all her life and never get married?"

"No. She should get married some day, after _college_. But the brat will make sure that doesn't happen." Touya growled angrily. "Sakura won't even graduate high school because of him."

"And why not?" Meiling challenged.

"She'll be expelled for being pregnant if she doesn't drop school for him altogether first," Touya hissed his reply.

Meiling's face quirked. "He... They're THAT close?"

"Not yet... At least I hope not yet." Touya shook his head. "But soon. Too soon for Sakura. She won't be out of her uniform when she becomes a mother."

"And how can you be so sure of that?" Meiling demanded.

"I see things that other people can't," Touya admitted. "I could see the bond between Sakura and the brat from the moment I first saw him. She was ten and there was this kid that she would marry. And as time passed that bond got stronger. She was to be his and there was nothing I could do about it. Neither could you."

Meiling glared angrily. "You're not even from a wizarding family yet both you and your sister have talent. Yet I couldn't cast a spell to save my life and I'm descended from countless generations of magicians. My grandfather was head of the clan before Aunt Yelan was."

Touya shrugged. "I'll have to ask Mom if she knows why the next time I see her."

Meiling looked at him with skepticism. "Your mother is dead."

Touya nodded. "I know." He then walked off, somehow a little less resentful of a certain Chinese boy.

Meiling huffed as he walked off and then sighed. Her eyes glanced toward the bathroom, waiting for Rika and Naoko to return. Her head echoed with Touya's words that she never stood a chance with Syaoran. That all her time chasing after him and loving him had meant nothing. Syaoran would have fallen in love with Kinomoto no matter what she could've done. Even if she had gotten to go with Syaoran to capture the Clow Cards from day one and stayed with him until he returned to Hong Kong, it still would've been a lost cause. He'd still love Kinomoto and not her. She would still lose him. Somehow she felt a little better acknowledging that.

* * *

Working as a maid for the Daidouji family certainly has its good and bad points. The good being that she got a place to live and nothing was ever made of what she did with her roommate at night. The job made hiding her preference from her parents rather easy. All she ever say to them was that she was too busy to get a boyfriend, so they wouldn't have to know about her girlfriend. But there was a bad part to it all. Any rules and requests were expected to be followed to the letter. While not as enforced by Tomoyo, there were still certain commands she gave that were absolute.

Now the maid stood at Tomoyo's door. She was under orders to not clean the room, despite that Tomoyo was away all day at the amusement park. At least that was what she had been told, but there was noises coming from the room. She feared there was a burglar, yet Tomoyo made it clear that under no circumstances was anyone to enter the room.

Perhaps it was just the television had been left on and it was some Kansai-comedian doing some joke bit with candies and cakes.

Was that a belch she just heard?

* * *

Rika was torn between being sad at having to leave her friends and happy at the reason why she was going. She fidgeted as she stared at the clock.

"It's time for your date, isn't it?" Tomoyo observed.

Rika nodded, but said nothing.

"No need to be nervous. It's not like it's your first date. We'll cover for you. You're with us at the park all day," Naoko encouraged with a smirk.

"Don't keep your boyfriend waiting. I certainly wouldn't if I had one," Meiling added.

"I'll see you all later," Rika finally managed to say.

The other girls waved her off.

"So what to do next?" Meiling asked.

"It's too bad Sakura-chan isn't here. It'd be fun taking her to the fun house," Naoko commented.

Meiling started laughing loudly. "Oh, if Syaoran's sisters dragged her to the haunted house at my uncle's amusement park, she would absolutely FREAK."

"Is it especially scary?" Naoko wondered.

"It can be if you get to see one part of it," Meiling answered.

"What is it?" Naoko pressed.

Meiling pouted. "I don't know. I've never been able to see that part. Though with Syaoran's sisters, I bet Kinomoto can."

Tomoyo frowned. "I do hope Sakura-chan misses that attraction then."

* * *

The long drive across Japan finally ended for the Yamazaki family. Stiff from hours on the long stretch of express roads, they exited the car slowly and looked at the resort hotel and hot springs that the head of their branch of the Yamazaki clan resided.

While Chiharu wasn't technically a member of the family yet, this was not her first trip here. Though in the past, she had thought being allowed to go with Takashi had more to do with the lack of kids his age. The closest was his cousin, Ayane, and she was four years older than him and she typically hung out with the elder cousins.

A tall, somewhat muscular man with a sun-induced dark complexion strutted up to them. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Hello, Hiro-oniichan. Not going to wait before you start teasing me again?" Mr. Yamazaki groused with a smirk.

"What are big brothers for?" Hiro laughed. "I see you brought Takashi-chan's girlfriend again."

"More than his girlfriend now, though I'll save the full discussion on that when I talk with father," Mr. Yamazaki replied.

Hiro looked startled. "You're not trying to beat me at becoming a grandfather first?"

Mr. Yamazaki laughed. "I believe that's up to them. But as I said, it's something I need to talk about with father."

Hiro folded his arms. "I was going to ask you if you were sure about giving those two a room alone, but I see you are. Just don't come crying to me for money if she makes you a grandpa. I have enough worries about that from my own kids on top of their university studies."

Mr. Yamazaki grinned evilly. "Then I should be saying that to you. I cleared ten-billion-yen last year, and my investments are looking to make this year even better."

"Bah! This place makes that much in Golden Week alone," Hiro shot back. "Now lets get you to your rooms."

"The joys of sibling rivalry," Chiharu muttered, remembering her own troubles with her older sister.

Takashi followed behind her with a frown on his face.

* * *

"Is this seat taken?" Rika questioned at a darkened movie theater.

"Oh, hello there, Rika-chan." Terada smirked at his former student. "How have you been doing lately?"

Rika sat down next to him. "Everything has been going fine. My report card was better than I expected. Oh, and Sakura-chan is in Hong Kong visiting Li-kun. That's a pretty long date, don't you think?"

Terada blinked. "How serious are they?"

"Considering Sakura-chan and Li-kun, I doubt they're any farther than I am with my boyfriend. They've given promises of love, but I haven't heard of anything physical," Rika explained.

"It's amazing that they've done that much already and that their parents support the relationship," Terada commented.

Rika sighed. "If only I could say the same about my own relationship."

"Your parents will be more accepting when you're older," Terada encouraged.

Rika nodded. "Or wait until I'm sixteen."

* * *

Stretching in the naturally heated spring water, Chiharu soothed her stiff muscles. As relaxing as the water were supposed to be, it offered little help to the growing anxiety she held. She would be going to bed soon and, as she feared, there was only one bed in her room. A lone bed she was expected to share with Takashi.

Engaged by their parents, Chiharu did not have a voice to protest the arrangements. She had no choice. She would marry him in order to secure her inheritance and family home in the face of her father's impending death from cancer. The only reason she wasn't married yet was because of managing the small details, including gaining approval of the Yamazaki clan head and protecting her elder sister's university funds from inheritance taxation. However, being robbed of her ability to decide whom to marry came with another matter she could not fight against: the loss of her virginity.

While she appreciated Tomoyo-chan's advice, she doubted the value of the girl's words. She would be sharing a bed with a boy she had been promised to. If Takashi wanted to have sex with her, how could she refuse him without hurting him and being extremely rude in the process? Once she started kissing, there would be no turning back as the implied invitation already existed. She would need to express that she wasn't ready before they even got to that point. But how could she do that without hurting Takashi's feelings. She loved him dearly, she just wasn't certain about how she felt for him physically.

Chiharu wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry as a memory sprang to mind of when they were younger. She was only five when she had her first kiss with him. It had more to do with curiosity and stubbornness than any attraction to him, though at the time she swore that she would marry him someday. And while that wish had been granted, she had thought it would by their own choice.

"Well, hiding here won't solve anything," Chiharu muttered to herself as she exited the hot spring. Apprehension lurked in her, but she wasn't about to avoid her fate.

* * *

Having a love for children was a requirement for being an elementary school teacher. The desire to nurture their minds and help them grow up to be productive and strong adults. Children are the promise of the future, and it's the job of teachers to help them realize that.

During the years of schooling to become a teacher, there had been warnings and training given to deal with issues that textbooks can't give. That there will come a time a student will cause so much anger, that the teacher would like nothing more than to throw the kid bodily out a third floor window. There was also the issue of how to deal with students that become overly infatuated, either with another student or towards the teacher. That was a delicate situation to be addressed, and unfortunately geared towards dealing with high school students in that situation.

Much of what Terada had been taught about dealing with students' love relations failed in the face of reality. When do you approach eleven-year-old cousins concerning their relationship when one claimed they were engaged to be married and the other didn't deny it? What do you tell a different eleven-year-old girl who seemed to have been dating said engaged boy? Who was he to tread on a different couple's relationship that had apparently been going on since they were in kindergarten? How are you supposed to deal with a girl crushing on you, when you find yourself falling in love with her as well?

Terada never planned to have these feelings of romantic love for any of his students. They were going to be just children. He had thought if he was involved in any relationship issues at an elementary school that it would've been with another teacher or a parent of a student, maybe even with a married woman. The idea that he would fall for a ten-year-old girl had simply never crossed his mind as being possible. Yet here he was walking through a secluded part of a park on a date with that same girl three years later. Perhaps he had been stupid to give her an engagement ring, but attached to the ring was a promise that was still going strong.

Rika skipped a few steps ahead and twirled around to face her one-time gym teacher. "What are you thinking about?"

Terada blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Just thinking about how unlikely we are."

Rika smiled sweetly. "Love knows no boundaries."

Terada smirked. "Though people would disagree."

"They just don't know any better," Rika replied seriously. "They say kindergarten sweethearts are impossible to last, yet Yamazaki-kun and Chiharu-chan are still together. Long distance relationships never work out, yet Sakura-chan is in Hong Kong on a long date with Li-kun. That children don't have serious romantic relationships." The girl smiled knowingly. "You know better than that."

Terada laughed. "I've learned that the hard way."

Rika nodded, but then sighed as her cellphone rang. She pulled it out and answered it. "Hello, Sasaki speaking." She then frowned. "Yes, Mother. I'm on my way home from the amusement park. I'll be home soon." A scowl formed on her face. "Sure, I'll pick that up from the store."

"All good things will eventually end," Terada observed.

"Unfortunately, but we can always try to make the good times last as long as possible." Rika grabbed the teacher by the tie he was wearing and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Time didn't matter to her enjoying the sensual contact of his lips and tasting his tongue with her own. Though the kiss did have to end, and with a reluctant, but content, sigh she broke away from him. "I'll see you soon."

"I'll be counting the minutes," Terada promised.

The pair slowly drifted apart, each taking a different path out of the park. She gave a passing glance to the teacher's direction while touching her lips. She then shook her head while pouting. She found herself blaming Meiling for her flushed body, though knew that was an excuse. She finally whispered what she had been longing to say to her beloved, "I don't want to wait until I'm sixteen."

* * *

Silence hung in the room as two young teenagers shifted nervously in each other's presence. Neither knew how to say what was on their respective minds. That both had yet to change into their sleepwear and that there was no where for them to do it in their room privately didn't help matters.

"Takashi..." Chiharu trailed off.

"Yeah, Chiharu?" the boy prompted.

"I, er, well, that is... How do you feel about our engagement?" Chiharu blurted out. Though it was a question she wanted to know, it was not what she had wanted to say.

Takashi pouted. "Well, I was kind of hoping that it would've happened later, like in high school. I certainly didn't object to it when my parents asked me if I wanted to marry you."

Chiharu stared at him, mouth agape. "They asked you?!"

Takashi blinked in confusion. "They didn't ask you?"

Chiharu slowly shook her head. "No, they didn't. Mother told me one day I would marry you and inherit the house."

Takashi frowned and looked away. "Do you want to be engaged to me? If you don't want to be, I can go to Dad and tell him we changed our minds."

Chiharu closed her eyes and tried to fight the tears that were forming. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know the answer. She didn't want to hurt him, but telling him she didn't want to be engaged yet would hurt him. She was broken out of her jumbled thoughts when she felt his hands holding hers.

Kneeling before the girl, Takashi asked, "Chiharu, will you marry me?"

"Yes," slipped from her lips, despite her uncertainty of that answer.

Takashi smiled at her before standing up and kissing her soundly on the lips. There was a little hesitation from the girl before she returned the action. Slowly he broke away from her. "Chiharu, I love you."

Chiharu hugged him tightly. "I... I love you, too."

Takashi let his hands caress her back, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against his own. "Chiharu..."

She didn't need him to finish his words. She pulled out of the hug and quickly found his lips on her own once again. His hands began to wander to other places and her clothes began to fall to floor.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kero-chan leapt from where it had been sleeping and nearly latched onto the ceiling of Tomoyo's bedroom at the impossibly loud scream. It then scowled darkly at the girl holding a megaphone. "You think that's funny, eh wench?"

Meiling answered with laughter, but that was short lived as the card guardian's wings engulfed its form. With a brief flash of light, the Chinese girl found herself pinned to the ground by the now large mystical winged-mountain lion.

"I'm not a plush toy for your amusement," Cerberus growled.

"Now, Kero-chan, it was just a joke," Tomoyo admonished.

"He's the joke," Meiling quipped despite her precarious position under the beast.

"Why do you insist on mocking me, wench?" Cerberus demanded.

"Because you have no claws," Meiling returned.

"That's enough fun for now, don't you think?" Tomoyo asked them calmly.

"What's the wench doing here anyway?" Cerberus questioned, moving off of Meiling but remaining in his true form.

Meiling scowled at the beast. "I switched places with Kinomoto. She's in Hong Kong while I'll stay here."

"WHAT?!" Cerberus screeched. "Why didn't she take me with her?!"

Meiling poke the beast's nose. "Because, stupid plushy, Kinomoto is there as a long date with Syaoran. She doesn't want any unnecessary annoyances taking time away from him."

Cerberus took a mock-swipe at the girl with its paw. "That explains why YOU got sent here, but I'm her guardian. I should be there to protect her!"

"Then why were you here stuffing your face when she left?" Meiling shot back.

Tomoyo shook her head at the pair. There wasn't much she could do to stop the two from clashing, each treasuring their own pride a tad too much for their own good.

* * *

Chiharu stared at the ceiling as she laid in the bed next to her fiance. Their clothes discarded on the floor while their sleepwear was still packed away. Only the blankets kept her modesty from anyone who might enter the room.

She wasn't sure what to make of this night. Her virginity had come to an end, as she had expected it would. Kissing and hugging had been fine for her, but as things advanced beyond that point she increasingly wanted it all to end. Whether he would be satisfied with just that, or that he would quickly finish the deed. She knew he loved her. That he had made love to her. However, she felt hollow about it all. That what she had done was a task or a duty, rather than an act of affection from her.

Chiharu let out a long sigh. She didn't hate what happened tonight. She would treasure the memory of him proposing to her. That she had finally been asked if she wanted to be married. She just wasn't entirely happy with it all. Perhaps part of her issues stemmed from his obvious lack of experience and that the act held little pleasure for her. She could endure his touch easily enough. She would not stop future encounters with him.

"Yamazaki Chiharu," she whispered. "I'm just going to have to get used to that." She shifted her body, trying to get more comfortable and felt reminders of what she had done with Takashi in the process. "And possibly being called 'Mommy' as well." And that thought strangely held more anticipation than dread for the young teenager. After all, that had been her fantasy since kindergarten, to be the mother of Takashi's children. Too bad that reality and the process of becoming that wasn't as perfect as she had once imagined it would be.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Coming next: Chapter 4 - Sakura and Dreams of the Future  
The story returns to Hong Kong. Lamenting over how 'not special' her first kiss was, takes a back seat as Sakura dreams of impossible choices that must be made.

As the sexual content was off screen, this remains viewable to teenagers, just as references of sex in Soap Operas and evening programs can do so in public broadcast. If you object to that and believe any reference of sex should warrant a higher rating, then speak to your congressman to pass legislation to take any mention of sex from public broadcast: including Soap Opera's, after school specials warning of teenage pregnancy, sitcoms, dramas, reality television, news, etc...

Why the parental consent for Yamazaki and Chiharu?  
A) Japan has a much lower value of virginity than most Western cultures. A twenty-year-old, of either gender, is not expected to be a virgin regardless of marital status.  
B) Parents believed they were already sexually active, so they weren't 'encouraging them.' Even if the two were still virgins, having them become intimate will help them accept their marriage.  
C) Chiharu becoming pregnant would either be used to solidify the marriage if the girl choose to keep the baby. If not, the fetus would be aborted with the expectation she would have a baby when she is older and wants one. This is the Japanese mindset. In Japan abortion is treated as birth control, being second only to condoms in practice of preventing motherhood.

Why have them married so young?  
Japan has one of the harshest taxation laws of any country. Inheritances can be taxed up to fifty percent, while wedding gifts from parents and grandparents are not taxed at all. As such, when a parent or grandparent has only a short time left to live, it is common for quick marriages to occur to secure the inheritance without it being taxed.


	4. Sakura and Dreams of the Future

**Sakura's Christmas Surprise**

_Chapter 4: Sakura and Dreams of the Future_

By Lord Archive

Characters are property of CLAMP and are used without consent.

Warning, this chapter contains adult situations. There is no graphic depiction of anything beyond kissing, however it does hold implied acts done 'off screen' much as one would find in a Soap Opera on afternoon television or in evening shows (in particular a few episodes of 'Roseanne' has had similar implied content.)

* * *

Sakura pouted deeply as she tried to fall asleep in one of the Li clan's guestrooms. It wasn't the unfamiliar ceiling and walls with decorations that were a tad foreign to her that kept her up. It was the memory of her first kiss.

The young teenager sighed. She had dreamed of what her first kiss with Syaoran would be like. She had believed it would be a special moment. That it would excite her entire being. Yet her kiss fell far short of expectations. It was just a simple peck on the lips, nothing more. It was the type of kiss her brother would likely approve of, which made her feel even more disappointed about it.

What could she have done about it? Not kiss him when she was given such an opportunity? It would've been rude of her to have not done so. It was tradition after all to kiss the person under the mistletoe and he was her boyfriend. Yet being in front of his family, she couldn't have done it the way she wanted too, nor could he have been able to properly return it.

A smile crept on her face as she realized that she at least got a kiss from him. And now that they've had their first, it should be easier to do it again and again. It may not have been very special, but she could see to make up for it with their second one. To feel what it was really like to receive passion from a boy's lips.

The grin disappeared back into pouting lips. It's the first kiss that's supposed to be the special one, not the second one. And she had wasted it with mistletoe. It could've been so much better. There will never be another first kiss, and it was just a simple peck.

As the girl tried to decide whether she should be happy to have her first kiss or sad about how unspecial it was, exhaustion eventually won out, dragging her into a deep slumber.

* * *

Syaoran stared at his bedroom ceiling, his fingers touching the edge of his mouth. Sakura had kissed him today. Thanks to Meiling, it was hardly his first kiss, but he had never shared one with Sakura before. Despite all the stolen pecks on the lips Meiling had done, the brief contact from Sakura's lips still made him smile at the slightest memory of it.

Syaoran frowned, thinking how Meiling had taken something from him that should've been Sakura's. True, they had been only four when he first felt her lips, but the girl kissed him many times since then. It took him quite a bit to convince her to stop doing that. At least she never got it into head to try doing more than just kissing. That sort of stuff he would do with Sakura, first and only.

Again a slight smile touched his face. He had finally shared a kiss with Sakura. Then he frowned, wondering if she only kissed him because of the mistletoe. Did she really want to kiss him then? Or again at any time in the near future? Would it upset her if he stole a kiss from her? Would he ever feel her lips again? Sakura had initiated the kiss with him, that meant she wanted to be kissed. Didn't it? But it was under a mistletoe...

The boy was restless in his bed. His mind tearing him between being happy about progressing his relationship with Sakura and being worried that nothing had really changed and trying to kiss her would hurt their future.

* * *

The old and abused commercial bus flew down the street uncontrollably. Overused breaks squealed as the driver attempted to stop the hulking mass of metal, but to no avail as the tires slid down the steep hill even as the bus began to turn sideways against the street.

People fled from the massive vehicle, trying to get out of its way. A few cars were unfortunate to be at the base of hill stuck at a traffic light. The bus slammed into the stopped cars and steamrolled right over them until it finally came to a rest on its side in the middle of an intersection. Fire erupted from one of the crushed cars and threatened to ignite everything around it.

There would be little time to act, one of the observers of this horrid accident knew all too well. She immediately ran to the bus, and with a skilled kick took out the already broken front window. "Everyone, you've got to get out of here! The gas tank will explode soon!"

She began to guide the passengers out of the bus, helping them through the exit she created. She needed them to move faster, but knew that their injuries didn't allow for that. After most of the passengers had escaped, she moved into the bus. Towards the back was a trapped little girl that was being helped by a young man who had once sent her heart a flutter but now filled it with sadness. "You don't have much time. I'll save her."

The young man blinked at her. "If we work together..."

"Not enough time," she interrupted. "Go! I'll shield her." She watched as he reluctantly did as she commanded. She then crouched over the trapped little girl, summoning her magic to protect that tiny life.

"FANREN!" the man screamed, looking into the bus.

"Goodbye, beloved," Fanren whispered as hellfire erupted around her.

Sakura shot up out of bed with a jolt. "Wha... What was that dream?!" Dizzily, she left the guestroom and wandered the hallways of the Li estate. Eventually she found herself at the kitchen, but saw she was not alone.

"Bad dream?" Fanren questioned as she started to peel an orange.

Sakura fidgeted. "Ah, yeah. Though it was very strange."

"How strange?" Fanren prompted.

Sakura shook her head. "It's probably nothing to worry about."

"You know the power of dreams very well, don't you?" Fanren sighed. "I certainly can't escape them."

Sakura pouted. "I don't really know what to say about my dream. It's unlike any I've had before. It was like I was in someone else's dream."

Fanren paled. "Don't tell me you saw my dream!"

"I... ah...," Sakura stuttered.

Fanren turned away. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Try to forget it if you can. There's nothing you can do for me."

"But you died in my dream!" Sakura protested.

"I know I did. I've been dying in my dreams almost every night since I was four," Fanren stated coldly. "That is my fate. There is nothing I can do to prevent it."

"You could just not go to the bus!" Sakura yelled.

Fanren glared at her. "You remember the last person who left that bus, right?"

Sakura nodded.

"He's the most important person in my life. He means everything to me. If I save myself from this fate, he dies. And that's something I just can't accept. He has another love waiting for him. He'll have a family with her. My death will allow him to realize that," Fanren explained coldly.

Sakura began to sob. "It's not fair. Why can't you have that life with him? Isn't there something I can do? This choice, it's not fair!"

Fanren placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "How many people get to know when they'll die? How many get to realize what their destiny is before it's upon them? How many learn who their love is and get to act on it before it's too late?" Fanren smiled weakly. "I live each day to its fullest. I am proud to say that my death will save the life of my beloved and that the small, innocent girl will not face years of hospitalization. And when I was with my beloved, I got to fully treasure the time we had spent together."

Sakura tried to choke back her tears. "Why aren't you with him now?"

Fanren frowned deeply. "Because I do not want him to suffer. I have introduced him to the one who will be the mother of his children. He is dating her now and she will be able to help him when I die." She then smirked. "Besides, I remember the dreams I had of a possible future where I held onto him until my final days. I would've died as his wife and..."

Sakura blinked out a few of her tears. "And?"

Fanren shook her head. No need to compound the sorrow of the girl. "It's nothing. Just a life that could've been mine, but decided against it."

Sakura rubbed her eyes. "I guess I see why you liked the story of Minmei-chan so much."

Fanren nodded. "It helps me knowing that I'm not the only one who has been made to make such a hard decision."

* * *

Syaoran shambled his way to the back patio connected to the dinning room of his home, following the scent of strong tea. He grunted something sounding like 'good morning' as he plopped down at the patio table and served himself a cup of tea.

"I told you he sucks at waking up," Fanren mentioned with a chuckle.

Sakura giggled. "I'm not much better."

A blush crept over Syaoran's face, finally waking up enough to realize who was sitting at the patio table with him. "Ah, good morning, Sakura."

Fanren faked a pout. "And I don't deserve a 'good morning' as well?"

Syaoran gulped down his tea instead of replying, causing Sakura to laugh even more. He then set down his cup and got up from the table. "I'm going to start practicing."

"Practicing what?" Sakura inquired.

Fanren smirked. "Just watch."

"Um, I'll be practicing out back," Syaoran muttered nervously.

"Now, Syaoran, you know very well that you need to be able maintain focus even while being distracted," Fanren told him in pseudo-commanding tone.

"Fine," Syaoran grumbled out. He moved a fair distance from the table and began a martial arts kata. He attacked the air before him as if he was fighting an opponent. Though he was certain he was not performing the moves as well as he should with Sakura making sounds of delight as she watched him.

"I see you still need work on staying focused, Lord Syaoran," Wei said firmly.

Syaoran gulped. "Ah, good morning, Wei."

Wei folded his arms. "And paying attention to your surroundings as well. You didn't even realize I was here, did you?"

Syaoran slouched but otherwise gave no reply.

Wei laughed. "Well, I can hardly fault you from losing focus with this charming young girl distracting you."

Syaoran couldn't help but agree, especially when Sakura was blushing so cutely.

"Though I think we should save the lessons to correct that for another time." Wei then looked toward Sakura. "How would you like to learn how to protect yourself a little?"

Sakura blinked. "I can't do martial arts!"

"Sure you can. And I don't think there's a better teacher for you than Lord Syaoran," Wei told her kindly.

"What? ME?! I haven't taught anyone before!" Syaoran protested.

"Exactly," Wei returned. "This would be an excellent time to start. After all, every girl should know how to defend herself from one who would wish her harm. And I'm sure she could use other methods that don't rely on her magic."

"Well, if it's Syaoran-kun..." Sakura trailed off.

Syaoran looked from Wei to Sakura, then sighed. "I don't know how good I'll be, but I can give it a try." He steadied himself. "I guess the first thing to teach you is how to throw a punch."

Sakura blinked. "What do you mean? I know how to punch someone. My brother can attest to that."

Syaoran bit back the temptation to grin. "There is more to punching than just hitting something. By knowing how to punch correctly, you can put a lot more force behind the hit."

* * *

Taking a break from today's lessons, Syaoran laid along side Sakura on the ground in the middle of a lush garden at the Li estate. Together they watched the clouds drift by.

Sakura could hardly tell that it was the start of winter here, with warm breezes floating over Hong Kong from unseasonal breezes coming from the South China Sea. She enjoyed just being near the boy with her, half-debating to steal another kiss from him though trying to make this one more special. Then the memory of Fanren's dream would haunt her and she couldn't help but frown.

Syaoran had been gazing intently at her. "Sakura, is something wrong?"

Sakura blushed deeply, suddenly feeling his eyes on her. She turned her head away from him. "I don't know if it's my place to say anything."

Syaoran blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sakura pouted. "Last night I had someone else's dream."

Syaoran's eyes widened and his voice took a note of distress. "It wasn't Fanren's dream, was it?"

Sakura fidgeted while she failed to come up with any reply. She gave a small sound of surprise when she was suddenly pulled into a hug.

"Sakura, if you can, forget about that dream," Syaoran whispered into the girl's ear. "It is a cruel fate that awaits her, but at least she has been able to make the best of it."

"But why can't she live with her beloved? Why does she have to die so young?" Sakura protested.

"The world exists in balance. When it's time for someone to die, someone will die. Maybe not the intended person, but the balance must be kept," Syaoran explained.

"That's not fair!" Sakura cried out.

Syaoran let out a hollow chuckle. "Whoever said life was fair? But consider this: if one of your friends was to die tomorrow, wouldn't it be better than she knew ahead of time so she could pass on without regrets?"

Sakura turned her body around and buried her face into Syaoran's chest as she began to sob uncontrollably.

* * *

"What is it you wanted to teach me, Wei-san?" Sakura wondered.

"There are a few self-defense techniques that are surprisingly easy for the damage they can cause. What I am about to teach you here is to be of a last resort, and only against someone you want to permanently disable," Wei answered.

"Why should I learn such a thing?" Sakura questioned with a note of distress.

"Lady Sakura, if only this world didn't need such things. For a beautiful young lady, like yourself, there are those who would selfishly hurt you just because of your beauty," Wei explained. "In particular, I fear a depraved man may seek to rob you of your virtue, and it would be best to know how to deal with such a person without relying on your magic. Rather than permanently disabling him, you would likely have to kill him."

"Why would I ever be in such a situation?" Sakura protested.

Wei shook his head sadly. "My dear, no one asks to be in such a dreaded predicament. It is something that can happen to anyone at any time. If all young maidens knew of what I'm about to teach you, then maybe there would be no need to ever employ such moves as few would be stupid enough to try to hurt girls."

Sakura pouted. "Does Syaoran-kun or Meiling-chan know these moves?"

Wei casually walked over to a two-meter wooden figure of a man, and promptly punched a hole into its chest.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and fright realizing if that had been a living person, he would be very dead with his heart crushed. She couldn't believe the implications before her. "Are you saying Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan know how to KILL?!"

Wei smiled sadly at the young teenager. "Lady Sakura, the spells Lord Syaoran knew when he first met you could kill a man. And while the practice of martial arts should be to the betterment of oneself to find harmony of mind, body and soul, there comes a time when one needs to protect themselves and all they love with everything they have."

Sakura frowned deeply, never wanting to consider the lethal applications of Syaoran's skills, especially as she was supposed to be stronger than him. She did not like the entire conversation and wanted it to be over with as quickly as possible. "Are you going to teach ME how to kill?"

Wei smirked. "That would take a higher amount of learning than I can give you at present. These are techniques that, while effective, are relatively easy to perform."

Sakura gave a shallow nod. "Why don't we begin now?"

Wei bowed to her. "As you wish. The first technique I wish to show you is something that requires a specific target to be available on a man's body. This move, while simple, would permanently render the target infertile. So, please be absolutely certain you need to use the move, and never use it on Lord Syaoran. And if you do use it, run. Run as fast and hard as you can away from the person you did it to. Once the man recovers from the pain, he will most certainly try to kill you."

Sakura emitted a sound of distress.

Wei pointed at what looked like a hand-sized beanbag nailed to the wall at about waist height. "Now grab hold of that firmly, twist your wrist, and pull down with all your strength."

Sakura nervously fidgeted as she followed his instructions. She fell two small round balls in the sack as held it and then turned her wrist and pulled down. The bag failed to come loose from the wall, but the balls now felt like smashed takoyaki. She tugged at the sack a few more times. Slowly realization dawned on her just what the bag represented and what it would do to a guy. "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She jumped clear to the other side of the room, looking at her hand as if it was a bloody dagger.

"Are the balls still intact?" Wei questioned.

Sakura shivered violently. "No. They broke apart on the first tug."

Wei nodded. "Very good. That is the result you are looking for."

"It can't be THAT easy to do THAT, can it?" Sakura whined desperately.

Wei nodded gravely. "This specific move is frightfully easy for the effect it has. Just remember, NEVER use it on Lord Syaoran."

Sakura shook her head fiercely. "NEVER! I want to have children some day!"

Wei coughed. "Moving on to the next technique...."

"Tell me it's not like this one!" Sakura demanded.

* * *

Fanren entered the main room with flourished movements. "Sakura, I've got something to show you!"

"Oh?" Sakura wondered.

Fanren grinned dementedly. "It's just a little video tape."

Syaoran stared at the item his sister was holding as if it was a bomb. "You can't show her THAT!"

"Sure I can." Fanren waved the tape threateningly. "I'm sure Sakura would love to see you singing for your school."

Sakura clapped her hands together in joy. "You have that on tape? I'd love to see it!"

"Really it's nothing to see! There's no need to show it!" Syaoran protested.

Fuutie entered the room and placed her hands on her brother's shoulders. "It's too late now. She knows what's on it."

Syaoran sulked as Fanren skipped over to the VCR and television, and proceeded to turn both of them on. Somehow before even the tape began to play, all four Li sisters were in the room.

Sakura wondered why the sisters were paying more attention to her and Syaoran than the tape. The answer came quickly as the image of a nervous eight-year-old Syaoran stiffly walked to the center of the stage and attempted to sing. 'Attempted' being the appropriate word as the sounds the young boy was making came out more like a frog stuck in the throat of a cat, than actual music.

It was really like watching a train wreck. You just couldn't look away even though you know you should. Sakura was embarrassed watching this, mostly out of knowing sympathy for Syaoran. Many times she wanted to crawl under a rock and die when Tomoyo showed her videos, and he must be feeling much the same.

* * *

Sakura sighed. The past couple days had flown by, and she hadn't really done anything but hang around Syaoran and talk. Not that there was any problem with that, though the sheer amount of time her boyfriend spent training was a bit much. Not that she minded watching him. Why did he and his family put so much time into martial arts and magic? It was like never being able to get away from school.

"Is he even close to touching Feimei?" Kau asked, as he sat next to Sakura.

Sakura blinked out of her thoughts. "Not really."

"Huh?" Kau looked over with a startled look. "Can you see her?"

Sakura laughed sheepishly. "Actually I just noticed I can't see her with my eyes, but with my magic. Right now she looks a bit distorted to me, but if I shut my eyes I can see her clearly."

"You know magic? Could you teach me some?" Kau questioned.

Sakura frowned. "My magic is rather specific to me. It can't be taught."

Kau looked irritable. "Feimei told me the same about her invisibility. That it was her affinity with concealment that allowed her to learn the spell, and isn't a standard sort of spells that can be easily taught." He glanced over at the young girl. "So what kind of spell affinity you have?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's not an affinity like Feimei's concealment or Fanren's precognition. Um... have you played the newest Final Fantasy game?"

Kau nodded in confusion.

"My magic is like the summons in that game," Sakura informed.

Kau blinked repeatedly. "Are you saying you could summon Ifreet, Shiva, or Bahumut?"

"Not Bahumut and The Fiery and The Freeze don't look like Ifreet or Shiva," Sakura corrected.

Kau stared at the girl in shock and horror. "You could burn down this entire estate?"

"I'd NEVER do THAT!!" Sakura protested.

"I didn't say you WOULD, just that you COULD do it," Kau returned.

Sakura pouted. "I guess I could." She then glanced at Syaoran chasing after a frog Feimei had turned invisible. "Though I believe it's not all that different from them. They know how to kill efficiently... I'd just be more... effective with my greater power." She then gasped seeing Feimei sneaking up behind Syaoran, hands poised above his hips as if to pull down his shorts.

Syaoran whirled around and grabbed Feimei into a bear hug. "Got you."

"No fair! Your girlfriend spotted me, not you!" Feimei huffed as she turned visible. Her gaze switched to Sakura. "And you should've let me do it. You would've enjoyed the show even more."

Syaoran glared at his sister. "Using my surroundings was the key to finding you, even if it's using Sakura to spot you."

* * *

Syaoran's family and Sakura gathered at a gazebo towards the back of the house. The wooden structure looked normal enough, but those gathered knew better. Fanren chanted to one side while Syaoran stood in the center. As the young woman focused her magic through her fan, the young visitor was strongly reminded of her first visit here when Syaoran's mother looked into her dream and future.

The gazebo's floor began to glow with many colors, with many symbols and writings appearing inside the now active magic square. Illusionary images of some of the planets began to appear around Syaoran, along with what looked like two suns. Oddly, the Moon, Mars and the bright white star were the largest objects, much larger than yellow burning sphere.

Fanren's face scrunched up in thought.

"You see the problem I had in deciphering it?" Syaoran asked.

Fanren nodded. "It appears you are at a crossroads. However, your future is not yours to choose, but someone else's." She then looked over at Sakura. "Would you like your horoscope read?"

Sakura was a little worried at what she might be told. Seeing the future had always been a mixed blessing for her, especially after seeing Fanren's fate. Still, she moved to where Syaoran had been standing, hoping that she might be able to produce an answer to save Fanren from an early death.

Once again Fanren chanted and the floor glowed. Bright light flooded the area from the magical square. Fanren grunted as she tried to reign in her spell of reading. It felt to her as if she just opened a highly powerful and magical book. Never before had she felt such a reaction. When she finally managed to control it, her gasp of shock was added to those of her family.

A dozen planetary objects had appeared around Sakura, with the Sun and the Moon dwarfing them in size, yet the same white star in Syaoran's reading was by far the largest object.

"It's the star," Feimei breathed out.

Shiefa smirked. "I don't think we should really be surprised."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"It's rare for a star to appear in a person's horoscope. Especially as strong as it is for Syaoran," Fanren commented. "We had all thought of it as 'Syaoran's star,' but apparently it truly belongs to you." She then paused. "You are by far the most complex reading I've ever had. For most people, you can discount the influence of a couple planets altogether. You've got celestial objects that aren't even counted as planets in yours, like the asteroid Ceres. Though at one time it was thought to be a planet."

Sakura shifted nervously. "So you can't read mine?"

"It's much harder to decipher and I can't be entirely accurate, but I can give you a probable reading. Actually it answers the question I had with Syaoran's horoscope." Fanren pointed at the girl. "You are the one that holds his future. The choices you make in the coming days will decide what is to come for him."

Sakura made a noise of panic, not wanting such a burden thrust at her. That not only would her decision affect herself, but Syaoran as well.

"There is more," Fanren added with a frown. "There is a challenge that waits for you. The decisions you make now will determine how soon it will happen. Whether it'll be within a year or years from now."

Sakura frowned at the proclamation. "I see. Anything else?"

"I believe that's it," Fanren lied.

"Sakura, why don't we go to my school? The guys usually play soccer today," Syaoran questioned.

Sakura brightened at the request. "Sure! Let's go!"

Fanren waited for the others to leave until she was left alone with her mother. "We've got to talk."

Yelan gave an even gaze at her daughter. "I already know what choice Sakura has ahead of her."

Fanren nodded, not surprised at all. "It's not about her possibly adding to our family. It's the challenge that awaits her that troubles me. Technically, it's already started. Unless I'm mistaken, the roller coaster incident was part of it."

Yelan turned her gaze to the gazebo floor. "So the target was her."

Fanren frowned. "Yes. However, the issue I have is when that challenge comes to a head. If she were to become pregnant and remain here, she will face it much sooner than she would if she returned home."

"Do you know when she'll make her decision?" Yelan questioned coldly.

"I'm not sure," Fanren answered. "Though it would be best if she did not sleep with Syaoran yet. She's not ready for either motherhood nor the challenge awaiting her."

"That goes without saying." Yelan turned and walked away.

* * *

Sakura happily skipped down the road, with Syaoran walking beside her. He was finally taking her to see his school and possibly meet some of his friends. The trip was a bit different than her own trek to school each morning, needing to use the trolley to go down Mount Victoria before walking past many large homes with a decent amount of land around them. At least most of these homes were smaller than Tomoyo's house, but it was still a bit of a trip walking past them all.

The school itself wasn't as large as the collective buildings of her school, though this one served less grade levels and fewer students. The main school building was a large tan structure that didn't seem very welcoming to her for some reason. Then again it WAS a school.

Syaoran looked over the vacant field and wasn't sure he should be happy or upset that the guys weren't here. He then glanced up at the school as someone called out his name and saw one of his teachers waving at him. "Yes, Mrs. Yingfa?"

"Mr. Li, I could use your help for a moment, if you please?" Yingfa questioned.

Syaoran nodded. "Sure, I'll be right up." He then turned to Sakura. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

"Why can't I go with you? I'd love to see the inside of your school," Sakura protested.

Syaoran almost gave in. "School rules don't allow for visitors inside the building. It'll just be a moment." He turned and quickly moved to the closest door so he wouldn't have to see her pout at him. With a slash of a key card, he entered the school.

Sakura huffed as she wandered around the field. She wondered how often her boyfriend played soccer here, and what sort of other games he had participated in.

"Who do we have here?" was questioned in Cantonese.

Sakura turned to look to see who said that and saw four boys walking toward her. "Ah, hello," she greeted in English.

"Definitely not a native," a different boy stated in English as well.

"That should be obvious," the first boy groused toward his friends. "So, where are you from?"

"Japan," Sakura answered nervously. She was thankful the boys at least spoke English.

"So what brings you to our fair school?" another boy asked, leering at her openly. He then jumped back as someone jumped in front of the girl and glared harshly at him.

"Back off!" Syaoran barked angrily. Causing three of the boys to blurt out all at once:

"Hey, don't bite my head off, Li"  
"Geez, Li, where did you come from"  
"What's with you, Li? We were just talking to her."

"What is wrong, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura questioned, bringing the eyes of the four boys and the teacher who followed Syaoran onto her. She quickly became nervous under their collective gaze. "What"  
"Not even teachers can call Li by that name," the first boy stated.

"Well, I am his girlfriend," Sakura defended.

"Li, you've got a girlfriend?! Why didn't you tell us?" the second boy demanded.

Sakura folded her arms. "Yes, Syaoran-kun, why have you not told them?"

Syaoran scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, they didn't need to know, so why tell them?"

"Because that's what friends do! They talk about their lives with each other," Sakura told him harshly in Japanese. She then presented herself to the others in English, "I am Kinomoto Sakura, pleased to meet you."

Yingfa blinked. "Kinomoto?"

Sakura looked at the teacher quizzically. "Yes?"

"Any relation to Kinomoto Fujitaka?" Yingfa wondered.

Sakura smiled and replied a bit too quickly, "His my otousan... He is my father."

"I see. So that's why Li told me to have you translate this." Yingfa presented a paper written in Japanese to her. "Could you tell me what it says?"

"Oh, this is one of my father's works." Sakura studied the paper, taking her time to figure out how to relate it to English. She then looked up when some more boys arrived, two of them kicking soccer balls. She glanced at her boyfriend and told him in Japanese, "Why don't you play with your friends, Syaoran-kun? This will take me a bit."

Syaoran frowned. "Sure."

"Not very familiar with English, are you?" Yingfa asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I've only had a few classes of it so far. Though I've had a good tutor." She then pouted. "Is everyone here speak English and Cantonese?"

Yingfa giggled a little. "For the most part. Beijing wants us to learn Mandarin instead of Cantonese, though that's unlikely to happen. If the British couldn't stop us from speaking it and Beijing never got the Canton region to stop using it, there's little chance of it happening now."

"I see." Sakura nodded, scrunching her brows in thought.

Yingfa gazed at the girl. "Are you staying in Hong Kong with your father?"

Sakura shook her head. "He is in Egypt on a dig. I staying with family of Syaoran."

Yingfa raised an eyebrow. "How long have you known Mr. Li?"

"Since fourth grade, over three year ago," Sakura informed her, wishing the teacher wouldn't distract her.

"Oh, really? How long have you two been dating?" Yingfa inquired.

Sakura set the paper down and stared off into space for a moment. "Well, never went on date with Syaoran-kun before. At least none we called 'date.' We went places together, but never alone. It was spring last year he told me he loves me. I did not get chance to reply until summer of last year. This is second time since then we spent time together during school vacation. We talk a lot over phone and letter."

Yingfa smiled. "I see. It must be difficult to keep your relationship with your distance."

"It can be, but we are in love very much. We made it work so far. Just have few more years to go before we can stay together always," Sakura vowed.

"I wish you luck with that," Yingfa encouraged.

* * *

Sakura grinned as she sat at the desk Syaoran used for most of his school day. Yingfa had given her permission to enter the building, as thanks for translating the article. Apparently the teacher was working on a Masters of Archaeology degree and often recruited Syaoran's help when dealing with research material written in languages she didn't understand. Sakura wasn't pleased at how much Yingfa monopolized her time, preventing her from watching more of Syaoran's game.

Syaoran held a slight smile as he leaned against Meiling's school desk. Before he met Sakura, he would've questioned why anyone would want to know what his classroom looked like and where he sat. Now he understood her desire. She didn't want to see this as much as she wanted to know him. Just as he wished he could learn everything about her as well.

"What sort of classes do you have?" Sakura wondered.

"They're not really any different from what you have but with Cantonese instead of Japanese," Syaoran replied. "Otherwise there are the usual maths, science, literature, gym and such."

"Are you in any clubs?" Sakura pressed.

Syaoran shook his head. "Too many obligations at home."

"You should at least see if you could join the Soccer team. I think it would be a help to you, especially if you make captain," Sakura encouraged.

Syaoran shrugged while turning away. "I'll think about it."

Sakura got up and pranced over to him. "Syaoran-kun, if you'd like to do something, you should go after it."

Syaoran's mind quickly shifted gears as the girl stood centimeters away from him. He took her up on her words, but not in the way she likely meant. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her in even closer as his lips latched on to hers.

Sakura was a little startled at his actions, but gave into his embrace. This was more like how she imagined her first kiss would be like, holding each other in a hug and taking the time to feel the other's passion. While she had never heard the term 'French kiss' before, she took his invading tongue into her mouth without issue. She could taste his breath, and he could taste hers.

Wrestling with Sakura's tongue was the most enjoyable experience Syaoran had since he first heard her words of love for him. Meiling had never kissed him like this, and he was rather thankful for that. The feeling of exploring her mouth, her body pressed tightly against his, and their hands stroking and caressing each other's backs was making this a moment he doubted he'd ever forget. No end to this seemed in sight, even as his hand drifted up and under the skirt she was wearing.

Sakura had never felt so much want before. She didn't mind where Syaoran's right hand was at all. In fact she wouldn't mind him touching her even more directly. Their passion was reaching a fevered pitch, and she didn't want it to end. Her tongue fought with his in the most enjoyable game she ever played.

Suddenly Sakura stiffened and pulled away from her beloved. Her hand went to the side of her mouth, while Syaoran's hand reached up to his own as he spit out a tooth, her tooth.

Sakura began laughing nervously. "It's finally out. Now I won't have to see a dentist to get that baby tooth pulled."

Syaoran stared at the small blood covered white object in his hand. The word 'baby' being a proverbial bucket of cold water dunked over his head. Were they really going to go that far?

"I'm going to the bathroom to rinse the blood out of my mouth," Sakura informed him, before dashing off.

Syaoran's eyes watched her leave, his focus on a place it shouldn't be. He wouldn't have stopped it, and she didn't show any signs of putting a line of how far either. Then again, Sakura was a rather instinctual girl. She probably didn't even realize what they were doing could lead too. Syaoran shook his head, trying to reign in his thoughts. He then slowly followed Sakura's footsteps so he could rinse off the blood from his newest treasure.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes to a gray nothingness. She sighed, guessing she was dreaming. She never did like the prophetic images she got. Looking down, she saw two paths ahead of her, and she turned her gaze down the left path first.

Appearing in that direction was all the people she knew well. An image of herself stood in the center as she was surrounded by her family, Yukito, Tomoyo and Syaoran appearing much brighter than her friends who stood a short distance away. Furthest out stood Chiharu and Yamazaki practically hugging each other, and he looked rather faded. Next to everyone was a calendar. As the month flipped over, Syaoran grew even brighter and was hugging her, Meiling moved closer while everyone else moved farther away. It was repeated again with the following month, however Syaoran's family and a girl she didn't know began to fade into view. The next turn of the calendar had her friends disappear almost entirely, her family and Tomoyo had become rather dim and distant from her, while Syaoran's family were now standing brightly around her.

Sakura gasped as realization of what the dream was showing her. As time moved on, her waist was expanding. She was pregnant! Was this her future? To be Syaoran's child bride and a young mother?

Sakura shook her head, remembering there was a second path yet to look down. This didn't have to be her future. Continuing her gaze down that first path, she smiled as her image was now holding an infant boy wrapped in a dark green blanket tenderly in her arms. Perhaps this wasn't a 'wrong path' to choose.

Then a giant black claw reached from the sky tearing at her image. Looking up, Sakura saw a shadowy, serpentine dragon writhing angrily in the sky. Her attention was then brought to the path she had been traveling on and noticed numerous claw marks along the entire path.

The dragon's attacks became more vicious and frequent. The whole beast descended on top of her image and a flash of darkness and light filled her vision. When it subsided, her image cried into Syaoran's arms next to a shrine containing many urns. A tiny jar, much smaller than the rest of them, had been placed at the center.

Sakura tore her gaze away from the heart-wrenching scene, and focused her attention on the other path. Again her family and friends appeared as they did initially at the other trail. However, as the months ticked off, only Syaoran and Meiling grew dimmer and further away from her. The dragon remained in the air above her, clawing at the path but did little more than that. Years passed and suddenly Syaoran and Meiling grew brighter and closer to her. As the months passed then, the dragon's attacks increased in level while her boyfriend edged ever closer to her until he was practically hugging her like Chiharu and Yamazaki were. Then the dragon struck with all its might. Again a flash of light and darkness blinded her. When she could look again, she stood on a street with her staff towering in height, looking as it did when she converted Light and Dark with large wings flanking a star at its top. Tears flowed from her face, and there was a sense of loss that Sakura could not place.

Sakura sat up quickly. Her dilated eyes shook with the urge to cry. To stay as Syaoran's bride only to lose her baby or go home and continue to live as she had for a few more years? What sort of decision was this?! She didn't want to choose. She would be away from Syaoran for years, possibly risking losing him to distance. But he would return to her. They would become closer than they were now.

Sakura shambled her way out of her bed and stared at the vanity mirror. "What should I do? What can I do?" She sagged, knowing her answer. She wasn't ready. Neither magically for this threat, nor emotionally for what would be expected of her. With heavy feet and heart, she scuffed her way out of the room and down the hallway. She soon found Syaoran's mother on the back gazebo.

"You know the choice ahead of you?" Yelan questioned.

Sakura nodded, tears leaking from her eyes. "I don't want to be away from Syaoran-kun, but I... but I have to be. I can't bring a baby into this world only to have him die. I just can't. In a few years he will return to me in Tomoeda and we'll be closer than ever there." She choked back a sob. "Send me home in two days so temptation won't grip me."

Yelan nodded, a slight smile on her face. "I understand."

Sakura turned away and started to walk away. She then stopped and pulled out a card, holding it tenderly. "You'll have to tell me I'll be going home. I won't remember this conversation nor my dream."

"Sakura..." Yelan called out, but it was too late. The girl had said but a single word, Erase, and then collapsed to the ground as the magic washed over her.

Yelan walked over and picked up the now slumbering yet still crying girl. "Whatever shall I do with you, my new daughter?"

* * *

Sakura awoke to her mind feeling especially clouded and her pillow damp. Rubbing her tired eyes, she felt moist tears. She wondered what had happened. She then blinked noticing The Erase card in her left hand. Had she removed some of her own memories?

Taking a moment to sort through her thoughts, Sakura noticed she had utterly forgotten the content of Fanren's dream. She knew the result from talking to the girl and Syaoran about it, but what happened in the dream itself now eluded her. Had she dreamt of that horrid situation again and decided to forcibly forget about what she could not change? It seemed the most logical conclusion.

Sakura shrugged and slipped out of the bed. She went over to the vanity mirror and gazed into it with blurry eyes. She rubbed her eyes clear after seeing two distorted images of herself. She then shook her head and gathered up some clothes to wear for the day before leaving the guestroom to take a bath.

Down the hallway she saw Syaoran shambling his way towards the kitchen and dining areas of the home, likely hunting for some tea. Her 'good morning' was much more cheerful than his. As they were about to pass each other, both look around nervously before giving each other a quick kiss. They pulled away with scrunched up faces.

"Blah, morning breath," Sakura complained. "Got to remember to brush teeth first."

Syaoran nodded in agreement before both of them broke into nervous laughter and giggles.

"Got you!" Feimei's disembodied voice cheered, causing the couple to freeze in shock and fright. "You didn't notice me, did you?"

Syaoran looked around with a growl in his throat.

Sakura quickly pinpointed the invisible girl's magic. "It's not nice to spy."

Feimei didn't listen. She pranced off singing, "Sakura and Syaoran sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage."

Both young teens were left blushing madly and stomped their way to their respective destinations. Syaoran then paused and called out, "Sakura, since tomorrow is New Year's day, we'll be going to the Li Clan Shrine. I can introduce you to father there."

Sakura had stopped when she heard her name. "Okay," she agreed to his statement, though she shivered slightly.

* * *

Yelan led her children along with Sakura, Henry, Wulong, and Kau down a hidden path behind the gazebo. If it was not for the worn path, the uneven terrain of the mountainside would've made it a little difficult to navigate.

"The Li estate is actually made up of four homes," Fuutie began for the first time visitors. "The active head of the clan always resides in the eastern home of Zhuqiao. Meiling's family currently lives in the northern home, Baihu. The western house, Qinglong, and the southern house, Xaunwu, are currently vacant. Though before Uncle Hou took over the amusement park, he lived in the western house."

"Vacant until one of us gets married and decides to move in to one of those homes, that is," Feimei corrected.

Kau's mouth hung open in shock. "Talk about a dowry. How can you possibly own an entire block on Mount Victoria? The real-estate prices must be unreal!"

"Our family has lived on this mountain for centuries. Long before 'real-estate' was even a word," Fanren answered. "This area is magically attuned, and our ancestors claimed this land for that reason. As you might realize, the Xaunwu house, named for the protector god of the sea, is actually the highest home and the furthest from water. However, there is a natural pond that the house was built around. Each of the houses have a similar feature that reflects one of the guardian gods set in perfect distance from each other."

Kau rubbed his chin in thought. "How do you determine who gets what house?"

Shiefa smirked at him, not missing that he wouldn't mind getting one of the homes even if it meant marrying into the family. "That is up to the head of the clan to decide. Though, I suspect Fuutie will be gaining the southern home, and Feimei the western one."

Syaoran blinked. "What about you?"

Shiefa looked away. "I have no desire to continue family tradition."

"You don't?" Syaoran wondered.

Shiefa ruffled her little brother's hair. "I've seen some things I don't agree with. Besides, Henry isn't comfortable with magic. I'd rather give up what little talent I have than lose him."

"I'd have you exiled for saying that, but that would seem to be what you want," a firm voice stated.

They all turned toward the ornate building and saw three people standing at the door. An elegant woman held a regal image, yet somehow seemed rather plain compared to the two men with her. The man about the woman's age was well dressed, with a respectable aura that reminded those with magic strongly of Meiling. The elderly man with them had the strongest and most imposing presence despite the grandfatherly smile lighting his face.

"It is not your place to do such a thing, Uncle," Yelan replied stoically.

"Why do you always talk so seriously to him, Mom? Great Uncle Li was just joking as usual," Feimei groused.

Yelan's even demeanor didn't change and did not offer a reply.

"So, who have you brought to see our ancestors?" Great Uncle Li questioned.

Yelan first motioned to the eldest young man. "This is Henry, Fuutie's fiance. They plan to marry this spring, as I've told you before." She then moved to the next oldest. "Wulong is now Shiefa's fiance and they shall marry later this year. Then there's Kau, Feimei's intended." The woman paused. "They will marry after Feimei promises to add to the family."

Feimei and Kau both made choking sounds at the implications of those words.

Yelan then moved, placing her hands on the young teenage girl. "And this is Sakura."

The elegant woman floated toward Sakura. "So this is the girl who broke my daughter's heart by stealing Syaoran's love."

"I, ah, didn't mean to... I, ah..." Sakura stammered.

Meiling's father laughed. "Don't worry about it, dear. We never expected Meiling's little crush to carry on so far or get anywhere. You've just helped make her stronger and better able to handle her next relationship."

Meiling's mother nodded to her husband's statement. "I'd say welcome to the family, but that may be a bit premature."

Sakura blushed and nodded shallowly.

"Do take you time, girl. You only get to be a child once. Best not to rush into becoming an adult," Great Uncle Li advised.

Meiling's father let out a dry chuckle. "So says the man who had me training from dawn to dusk when I was her age."

Great Uncle Li smirked. "That was my responsibility as your father. Now that I'm a grandfather, I get to spoil kids rotten."

"You've certainly spoiled my daughter," Meiling's mother groused.

Great Uncle Li smiled defenselessly. "Guilty as charged." He then extended his arm toward the ornate building. "We've delayed them long enough. They shouldn't keep our ancestors waiting on this dawning of a fresh new year."

With a round of 'good-byes,' Meiling's parents and grandfather went down a path leading toward the northern home. Yelan then led everyone inside the ornate building.

Sakura marveled at the morbid beauty of the place. It was a shrine to the Li family. Generation upon generation of the Li clan had their ashes stored here. Each one placed in unique urns that gave some indication as to what the person had been like in life.

Syaoran bowed his head as he approached the center of the room, where the ashes of the most recent deceased were placed. He noticed Sakura had moved next to him. He then pointed at the center-most urn. "That is my father." He then moved his hand over to the right. "And that's my grandfather."

Sakura smiled sadly. The urn that held his father gave her the impression of a samurai warrior, one who would fight for love and what was right. His grandfather, on the other hand, gave her more the feeling of a wanderer; someone who could not be tied down to one spot. Her eyes drifted over the other urns at the central altar. She shivered at the urn that felt of flowers and ponies, the resting-place for Syaoran's Aunt Meiling. The ghostly warning suddenly echoed in her mind.

Syaoran noticed the girl become pale and shivering. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "I'm sorry. I should've warned you about this place."

Sakura shook her head, yet held his hand tightly. "I'm the one who should be sorry. These are the spirits of your and Clow Reed's family. I should not be afraid of them as I know they will not hurt me."

Syaoran smiled slightly at her. He wished he knew what he could say to comfort her. He decided it would be best to get through this quickly so Sakura could leave sooner. "Father, grandfather, ancestors... I'd like to introduce you to Kinomoto Sakura, heir to legacy of Clow Reed." He suddenly grew nervous as the energy of the room increased and Sakura's hand became a death-grip within his grasp. "She is the girl I love most and hope to one day make her my wife," he blurted out quickly. While the room took a welcoming air, there was an edge to it as well. With his ancestor's general acceptance, he guided Sakura out of the building. When they were a respectable distance away, she turned and latched on to him with a fierce hug.

Sakura fought the urge to cry and fall into hysterics. Yes, there were ghosts in that building. But they did not threaten her, would not hurt her. Yet she was scared. The mere presence making her want to run all the way home and hide in her bed. The damn phobia had held her back. Kept her senses from being as open as they could be. Kept her from seeing her departed mother. And that thought broke her will, as her tears began to soak Syaoran's shirt.

Syaoran held her tenderly, letting her cry as she needed. He whispered comforting words into her ear. Eventually her tears lessened and she pulled away from him. She gave him a sweet smile, and then gave him her thanks in both words and in a quick kiss.

"That's sooooo cute!" the Li sisters chorused.

Sakura immediately blushed and hid behind Syaoran only to notice that Wei was also present now and he had a video camera pointed at her. "Oh, no."

"I'm sorry, but Daidouji-sama would never forgive me if I didn't record that," Wei 'apologized.'

"I take it preparations are complete?" Yelan questioned.

"Indeed they are." Wei then smiled sadly at Sakura. "It's time to go. Your flight leaves in a couple hours."

"Already?" Sakura pouted. She then turned toward Syaoran. "I guess this is good-bye."

Syaoran nodded sadly. "I guess it is. We'll see each other again soon."

Sakura tried to smile as she nodded firmly. "Yes. This spring when I'll be one of Fuutie's bridesmaid."

Syaoran took her hands into his. He wanted to say so many things, but could only find one thing to say, "I'll see you then."

They had already been seen doing this and held no objection to it, Sakura quickly rationalized before kissing Syaoran soundly on the lips. "Until spring."

"Until spring," Syaoran agreed, waving Sakura off. He stayed there until Sakura had disappeared from sight. He then turned around and returned to the Li Clan Shrine in order to participate in the family's New Year's traditions.

* * *

Author's notes:

In the final chapter:  
Chapter 5 - Sakura's Return to a Normal Life  
Sakura may have decided to return home to be as normal as she can be for a few more years; however, her friends have to come to terms with the life changing decisions they have made.


	5. Sakura's Return to a Normal Life

**Sakura's Christmas Surprise**

_Chapter 5: Sakura's Return to a Normal Life_

By Lord Archive

Characters are property of CLAMP and are used without consent.

Warning, this chapter contains adult situations. There is no graphic depiction of anything beyond kissing, however it does hold implied acts done 'off screen' much as one would find in a Soap Opera on afternoon television or in evening shows (in particular a few episodes of 'Roseanne' has had similar implied content.)

* * *

Meiling huffed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate airports?"

Tomoyo paused in thought. "Actually, no you haven't."

The increasingly upset Chinese girl folded her arms. "You're always sending someone off, leaving them, or trying to find them in this confusing mess."

Tomoyo nodded in sympathy. "At least with Sakura-chan she'll be able to find us."

"It does make things easier for us." Meiling sent a side glance at her friend. "Do you have any idea why Kinomoto is coming home already? She could've stayed there for another week."

Tomoyo shrugged. "Li-kun's mother told me when I was setting this up that Sakura-chan would be the one to decide when or if she would return home." The girl frowned as she finished her statement. "I never did like that last part."

Meiling raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound right. Kinomoto couldn't possibly be allowed to stay in Hong Kong like that. They wouldn't be able to marry there until they're twenty-one. And I don't see her agreeing to stay with my family, getting trained morning, noon and night, while being away from you and her family."

Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at that. "Then it would be best if Li-kun comes here. All they'd need here is parental consent for marriage."

"And being sixteen," Meiling corrected. "Hong Kong won't recognize a marriage before that age."

"You seem to know a lot about the marriage laws for Hong Kong," Tomoyo observed.

Meiling laughed. "Syaoran WAS my fiance for most of my life. I tried to marry him before he left for Japan the first time."

Tomoyo nodded in understanding and was almost surprised to note there was no bitterness in Meiling's words, but sounded more like she was thinking about a fond memory.

"Tomoyo-chan! Meiling-chan!" they heard Sakura cry out. Turning, they saw the girl running straight toward them, waving her free left arm as her right was burdened with luggage. She then called out their names again.

Meiling blinked as Tomoyo shot off towards the incoming girl.

"Sakura-chan! Welcome back! And your last baby tooth is gone! How did it happen? Did Wei-san get it on tape for me?" Tomoyo questioned in a rush.

"Hoooooooeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sakura cried out in surprise. "Ah, yes it is, and no, Wei-san wasn't there."

"How did it happen?" Tomoyo pressed, but received no reply beyond Sakura's face turning cherry red.

Meiling didn't have any interest in how the tooth was lost. She stomped towards the girls, setting her hands on their shoulders. "I've had enough of this place. Let's get back to Daidouji's before the plushy eats all the food at the mansion."

Sakura nodded feverishly to escape the question she was faced with.

"Yes. And you can tell me how you lost your tooth there." Tomoyo began to laugh her strange laugh, while Sakura whined pitifully.

* * *

Chiharu struggled with pulling her bag free of the car trunk, a scowl on her face thanks to her fiance watching her with an amused look. There was no help from his parents, nor her own, as they discussed the events of the trip. With a final tug, the bag freed itself and she fell down onto the street.

Takashi laughed. "You know you could've asked for help."

"Shut it," Chiharu growled.

"Is that any way to talk to your future husband," Natsumi mockingly chastised.

"Don't you start too, older sister," Chiharu shot back.

"Oh, dear, are you all right?" Mrs. Mihara asked her daughter.

"I'm fine," Chiharu insisted, now standing and brushing dirt off the back of her skirt.

"You should've asked for help with your bag," Mrs. Mihara admonished. "So, how was your honeymoon?"

"MOM?!" Chiharu cried out, her face painted red with embarrassment.

"WHAT?!" Natsumi cried out in surprise.

Takashi's smirk was more evident than his blush.

Mrs. Mihara smiled in amusement. "There's no need to hide your relationship with Takashi-kun from us."

"Mother, really, I can't talk to YOU about THAT," Chiharu protested with a huff.

Natsumi alternated between looking at her mother, sister and future brother-in-law. "Chiharu and Takashi-kun already did IT?!"

Mrs. Mihara laughed. "I doubt this trip was their first time."

"MOTHER?!" Chiharu cried out again before grabbing her bag and running off.

Takashi merely shrugged and followed after his fiancee.

Natsumi folded her arms. "Does this mean I can go sleep with some boy if I wanted to?" She sounded as if she was more than a little tempted to do so.

Mrs. Mihara gave her eldest daughter an even look. "If you're sure to marry him."

"You know you're utterly insane letting Chiharu have sex," Natsumi groused.

Mrs. Mihara looked over at her frail and bald husband. "Dear, sometimes it's less about letting something happen than reluctantly letting a sacrific be done."

* * *

It was getting late in the evening. Already Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo were dressed in pajamas as they sat around the large screen television that was playing the videos Wei had made. Kero-chan slept on the other side of the room on top of a now empty tray that recently had cookies stacked on it.

Sakura buried her head under a pillow as the video now showed Syaoran being kissed by his sisters under the mistletoe. She knew very well what was coming next.

Tomoyo squealed in delight as the next image showed a close-up shot of her best friend kissing Syaoran. "Sakura-chan, was that your first kiss?"

Sakura nodded sheepishly.

"Kind of a waste, especially for a first one," Meiling spat. "I've given him better kisses than that."

Sakura accidentally flung the pillow she had held when she sat up quickly. "You have? Did you use your tongue?"

Meiling looked confused. "Of course not. When I was kissing him, it was back when we were still engaged. I was still a little girl."

Tomoyo leapt at her best friend, grabbing hold of her hands. "You shared more kisses with Li-kun, didn't you? You used your tongue, right?"

Sakura tried to scamper away, blushing fiercely. She managed to pull her hands back, one instinctively going to her cheek. "I, ah, well..."

Tomoyo's eyes widened even more. "THAT'S how you lost your tooth! Li-kun knocked it out with his tongue!"

Sakura regained her pillow and tried to hide behind it, while Meiling looked like she had swallowed her own tongue.

"Tell me you have that on tape!" Tomoyo demanded.

Sakura's pillow shook back and forth.

"A wonderful moment like that, gone!" Tomoyo pushed down the pillow. "Where did it happen?"

"Syaoran-kun's school," Sakura squeaked out.

"How long was the kiss?" Tomoyo pressed.

"I don't know. It was... intense and long and...," Sakura trailed off.

"Just how far did you go?!" Meiling cried out.

"We just kissed, a lot," Sakura asserted, yet there was a phantom feeling of his hand on her rear.

Tomoyo giggled, wishing she had that on tape. "And what did you do with the tooth?"

Sakura shrugged cluelessly. "I don't know. I never got it back from Syaoran-kun after he spit it out of his mouth."

"He didn't?!" Tomoyo chirped.

Sakura could only nod.

Meiling huffed. "I bet he still has it."

"Are there other times you kissed on these tapes?" Tomoyo wondered.

Sakura's reply was to use the pillow to cover her face once again.

* * *

Sakura sat up abruptly from where she had slept on Tomoyo's bedroom floor. Her hand clutched at her chest. "What was that dream?"

Tomoyo yawned next to her, having used her friends' visit as a long slumber party. "Bad dream?"

Sakura shook her head, her face flushed. "Not bad, very good really. But it was... strange."

"How so?" Tomoyo wondered.

Sakura turned away from her friend. "I'm not sure. I was having fun with Syaoran, yet there was something different about it. I can't really remember much from it."

Tomoyo gave a tired nod and fell back asleep.

Sakura stared out the window. She remembered far more than she could put to words. That in her dream both she and Syaoran were very naked and touching each other. Her body still felt hot from the events of the dream. She could only guess that they had made love.

Reflecting on her feelings, Sakura wondered if there was something more to the dream that she just couldn't place. She felt odd. It was almost like the time she had studied hard for a test, but got the date for it wrong. A similar feeling of sadness over lost time mixed with relief that she didn't have to take it yet, though different and more. Trying to figure out why she'd felt like that was like trying to grab the wind with her bare hands; while there was a whispery touch tantalizing her senses, there was no way to hold it.

Glancing at the time, Sakura noticed that she had slept for only a couple hours. Had she stayed in Hong Kong, she would be going to bed about now. It may have only been an hour difference in time, but Syaoran was a night person who tried to stay up as long as he could. And she would have stayed up with him. Would she have fallen asleep in Syaoran's arms, exhausted from love had she stayed? She shook her head. No way would they have done that, especially with his mother around. Yet it was a nice thought that they could've been together so intimately. Touched each other as only people married in their hearts should do.

Lying back down, Sakura nestled her head against her pillow and pulled her blanket up to her chin. A smile lightened her lips. "Li Sakura."

* * *

Chiharu hugged her stuffed alligator as she sat on the floor of her bedroom, sitting across from her best friend. She couldn't make eye contact, unsure of what to say. Small talk seemed pointless, while what she wanted to say was far too personal.

"Are you okay, Chiharu-chan?" Rika questioned.

Chiharu fidgeted. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me. What's the matter?" Rika pressed.

Chiharu's gaze locked on her bed. "I don't want to say."

Rika reached over and grabbed the girl's hands. "We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything, just as I can tell you."

"There are some things that are too private," Chiharu retorted with little conviction.

"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika announced suddenly.

"WHAT?!" Chiharu cried out.

"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika repeated in all seriousness.

"You shouldn't even consider that! I've had enough problems with Takashi screwing me, but you and Terada-sensei would be a LOT worse. Ignoring it's illegal for him, he'd have to be bigger than Takashi and it HURTS when we did it, especially the first time. I can't imagine how much a man, like Terada-sensei, would hurt a girl our age during sex," Chiharu protested vehemently.

Rika blinked, her mouth dropping in surprise. "You made love with Yamazaki-kun already?"

Chiharu flinched as if slapped, realizing what she had blurted out. She then slouched in defeat. "I wouldn't exactly say 'made love,' but, yes, we had sex."

"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Rika wondered, hurt by the believed betrayal.

Chiharu still couldn't look directly at her friend. "Because I honestly didn't like it. I didn't exactly dislike it either. It's just... something I'll have to do as his wife."

Rika couldn't understand what her friend was saying. "Don't you love him? Aren't you engaged to him?"

"I do care deeply for Takashi. He's been like a brother to me." Chiharu sighed. "And that's the problem. He's been so close to me for so long, I have a hard time seeing him as someone I want to touch that way. As for being engaged to him, the only person to ever ask if I wanted this was Takashi... and I can't say no to him."

"How often have you done it?" Rika asked curiously. "Did you celebrate the New Year with him yet?"

Chiharu nodded. "Yeah, we kind of 'celebrated.' My parents let him stay here last night, and he slept with me in my bed. Before that, just a few times during the vacation."

"I see..." Rika trailed off uncertainly. "Didn't you ever want to be with him like this?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I do love him, but it was too soon. I'm still not ready for this," Chiharu admitted.

Rika sighed wistfully. "I think I'm ready to be with Terada-sensei."

Chiharu locked eyes with her friend for the first time that day, and in a gravely certain voice ordered, "For your own sake and his, DON'T! You might think you're ready, but you can't be. I know Takashi would never hurt me, yet I was scared of him that first night in a way I can't explain. I... I... Just, please, Rika-chan, don't rush into this. Wait until you're both ready."

Rika folded her arms. "I don't want to wait almost three more years for it to be safe and legal. I love him so much."

"True love can endure anything, Rika-chan. If waiting three years to be with him ends up costing you your relationship with him, then it wasn't a true love. And, honestly, what would happen if you got pregnant and people found out before you could get an abortion? He'd be in jail for the rest of his life! Do you want that to happen? To be separated from him forever just because you couldn't wait?" Chiharu pleaded desperately.

Rika could only bow her head in thought. "I'll think about it."

Chiharu let out a scream of frustration.

* * *

Naoko frowned at the contract before her. "It's still a job."

"That cannot be avoided. They want assurances that they will receive submissions on time to print monthly," Ishida Noriko informed in a dull, flat tone. The business pantsuit she wore practically screamed her occupation as a lawyer.

"If my school finds out about this...," Naoko fretted.

"If they do not know, they cannot issue punitive measures. With this, you may submit your completed chapter to your editor through email. Your pay will be directly deposited into an account from which you'll have a debit card to access and withdraw funds from it as needed. If anyone asks why you're withdrawing funds, simply tell them Konagi Noa is a family friend and is very secretive. Your anonymity is secured," Ishida informed with a similar blandness as the morning traffic report.

Naoko frowned deeply. "Still, this is rather risky, don't you think? I could end up expelled from school."

"There is risk in any business venture. I am taking a risk by assisting you on this matter. As long as you follow the contract and don't attract attention to yourself, neither of us will get in trouble," Ishida replied. "All that is left is your decision to write for them or to reject this offer."

In truth, there was no question to Naoko. This was, after all, a dream come true. Just a tad earlier than she had expected it to. She signed her life away as 'Konagi Noa.'

Ishida smirked. "Congratulations, Konagi-san. You are now a proud writer for Dragon Magazine. Don't let anyone know of this."

* * *

Sakura hummed a song to herself as she cooked dinner at her house. Vacations always seemed to fly by and end far too quickly. The past two weeks just flew by, yet it seemed like forever since she saw Syaoran. Though as much as she missed him, it would be nice being home with her family.

Sakura jumped as the front door opened, signaling the return of her father from his excavation. She quickly made sure everything was properly placed and cooking appropriately, before rushing to greet her father. In her haste she nearly ran straight into her brother, who had picked her father up from the airport. She took a step back and waved sheepishly. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be home. Egypt is a wondrous place to visit, but the desert sun is quite harsh there all year round, even at the start of winter," Fujitaka replied.

Sakura frowned. "Are you okay?"

Fujitaka ruffled his daughter's hair. "I'm fine now. But I must say that was the happiest sun-stroke I've ever had."

Sakura pouted unsure how to accept that. "Did you find anything?"

Fujitaka shook his head. "Not while I was there, but I got to look at a few artifacts that few have seen in thousands of years."

"Sakura, aren't you cooking something? I think it's boiling over," Touya groused from down the hall.

"Hooooooeeeeeeee!!!!!" Sakura rushed back to the kitchen to adjust the stove.

Fujitaka slowly followed his daughter. "You didn't have to cook diner."

Sakura shook her head fiercely. "I had some extra money left from what you gave me for my vacation and I wanted to throw all of us a feast." She turned to look at her brother. "Can you invite Yukito over? It's almost done."

"And how was your vacation?" Fujitaka asked his daughter.

Sakura turned away, focusing her attention toward the cooking food in hope that her father wouldn't see her blush. "It was great. I got to learn a lot more about Syaoran-kun and his family. They invited me to come back this spring to be one of his sister's bridesmaids."

Fujitaka smiled. "That's wonderful."

"The brat kept his hands to himself, didn't he?" Touya groused.

"Syaoran is not a brat!" Sakura wished he was within striking range. Too bad her father didn't know of her magic, otherwise she would use The Move or something to smash his foot.

"Did he touch you?" Touya demanded suspiciously.

Sakura folded her arms. "Sure he did. He held my hand and he hugged me."

Touya growled. "That isn't what I meant and you know it."

"No, I don't know what you mean," Sakura shot back.

"Now, now. There's no need to go into that. Sakura is old enough to make her own decisions, just as you did at her age." Fujitaka waved his hands in downward fashion motioning for them to calm down.

"You KNOW what I was doing when I was her age," Touya reminded bitterly.

Fujitaka nodded. "The more reason you should be more understanding of her position."

Touya turned and stomped away, knowing that this was a losing battle.

Sakura blinked cluelessly. "What was oniichan doing at my age?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Fujitaka walked next to her. "Now let's get this feast ready. I'm starving."

* * *

"I'm back!" Meiling announced strutting into Syaoran's family house as if she owned it. She soon found Fanren and Syaoran sitting in the main room.

Syaoran more grunted than said, "Hi."

"What a warm welcome," Meiling groused bitterly, but then smirked evilly. "I'm sure you welcomed Kinomoto with open arms."

"More like Sakura tackled him, but yes," Fanren answered before her brother could.

Meiling let out a hollow laugh. "She would do that. So, how was having Kinomoto for yourself for a week?"

Syaoran blushed and fidgeted. "It was nice."

"Still have her tooth?" Meiling shot at him, letting what little jealousy she had toward him rear its ugly head.

Syaoran's mouth hung agape. "How do you know about that?"

Meiling advanced on her ex-fiance. "There's nothing Kinomoto can hide from Daidouji. You know that."

Syaoran tried looking away.

"Why would he have her tooth? Did she lose one?" Fanren wondered.

"Heh. So Kinomoto didn't mention to you that she lost her last baby tooth while she was here." Meiling made a show of shrugging, attempting to suggest she didn't care, but failing miserably. "Guess I shouldn't be surprise considering she lost it while making out with lover boy, here. He even had to spit her tooth out from his mouth."

"Way to go, Syaoran!" Fanren cheered. "I can't wait to tell our sisters about this!"

"Syaoran," Yelan called out, her presence flooding the room.

Syaoran gulped, wondering how much his mother had heard. He tried to temper his worries knowing that his mother's foresight likely told her about him getting that close to his girlfriend. Still, his voice shook when he replied, "Yes, Mother?"

"It is high time that you created your own means to cast spells, rather than rely on what has been passed down to you," Yelan inform sternly.

"Don't I need to get a magical core for a device? Where would I get one suitable for me?" Syaoran questioned.

Yelan almost glared at him. "It is already in your possession."

* * *

"This is unforgivable."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Just who said the last line will eventually be answered in my fanfict, Shadow of the Dragon, which is set a few years after the events of this story. The one behind the attacks said it, but that has yet to be revealed.

Finally finished this mini-series. About three times or so larger and longer than expected for what was meant to be a one-shot Christmas special. It has now more than served its purpose as a bridge between canon Card Captor Sakura and my long-running fanfict of Shadow of the Dragon, helping to further explain characterization differences.

I would like to thank Anna Yolei, Kevin Zhu, everyone who has sent me comments, and especially Jeremy Mullin for their help in improving this series.


End file.
